Like Catching the Wind
by Lorenium
Summary: Katara falls into Zuko's lap. He needs her help but is loathe to ask for it. Unrequited Kataang and steamy Zutara. T for light fluff and crude language. Enjoy!
1. Through the Trees

First fanfic. (: Excited. The first couple of chapters are short,  
but I promise it gets better and longer.(:

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They'd been running for what seemed like an eternity. Sokka was slowly losing his strength and so was Aang. Katara tripped and ended up with a face full of dirt. Toph was beginning to hit small rocks and roots sticking out of the ground. They couldn't stop, and they didn't stop even with their strength slowly ebbing away. They didn't know when it happened but they had crossed paths with the one man they had been trying so hard to avoid.

When they saw Zuko, Katara tripped again and landed right on the prince. Prince Zuko's face lit up when he saw what stumbled into his lap.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The young man clasped onto Kataras right arm and hauled her up, making her yell out in pain. "The people I was just thinking about. Isn't that lucky of me? Who are you running from now?" Zuko laughed at this, his hand still clamped on Kataras arm.

"Let her go!" Sokka yelled at the prince. He began advancing towards the young man who held his sister and started to pull his boomerang off his back when Zuko gripped harder on Katara, making her cry out again. "You stop that!"

"You make one more move water peasant and I'll break your sisters arm." Zuko sneered at the boy. He truly had been lucky for this girl to fall into his lap. If she hadn't, he would have no leverage. He was surprised however that the girl wasn't fighting back. He knew his touch may have burned her but at the moment the only thing that mattered was that he had the upper hand and he was going to take advantage of it

"Sokka…take Aang and go. I can defend myself." Katara managed, she'd been catching her breath while she had a reprieve. Granted it wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind but it would long as Zuko had her she knew Sokka, Aang and Toph would do anything they could to get her back. She had to let them know she'd be all right and that she'd find them.

"Get out of here! Continue on with Aang!" Was all she could get out before Zuko yelled something incoherent and began attacking them, but they were gone when the smoke cleared. He turned to her, a smile replacing the anger that had been on his face.

Katara could hear Toph yelling at the boys as they disappeared. She had hoped they would make it to Appa before they ran into anyone else. She looked up at her captor and sighed. Didn't seem like they had any luck at all today.

"You little water bender, are going to fetch me food and bring me water. Don't try any bending because I will keep your hands bound together. You will follow me and be my personal servant. You will go everywhere I go and...you will help me find my uncle." In the middle of his speech he had turned away to look at the sky. He hated asking people for help, especially the people he was trying to capture.

But maybe this water bender could help him find his uncle and the people that took him. She'd been able to find the boys and that flying creature before on her own. He know she had. Now he was hoping that she'd help him, even if he'd come off as a douche. _It was only to get her by herself_ he told himself because he knew the others wouldn't help him.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA. What? You want me to help you find your uncle?" Katara asked skeptically as she looked up at the man that had hunted them. She looked at him suddenly and fought the urge to help him. He couldn't be telling the truth. This was Zuko. The person that had been hunting Aang since he had reappeared. Her eyes hardened at the memories of him hunting them and her lips set into a firm unwavering line.

"Yeah...I know. Weird right?" Zuko said as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"No. This is probably some stupid trap you're trying to set up to get Aang. No. I'm not going to be bait!" Katara yelled as she got up and threw dirt in Zuko's face as she turned and ran away from him towards a river they had passed earlier.

Zuko spat the dirt out of his mouth and wiped it from his eyes. He wasn't completely shocked that she had done that but he still should have expected it. He sighed as he decided to go after her. He should have seen this coming but he had hoped too much that it wouldn't.

"Hmmm maybe next time when I ask for help I shouldn't start with 'you'll be my slave'...yeah that might be smart Zuko." He said to himself as he ran.


	2. Smirk

Second chapter! (: Sorry for the shortness, seriously thought it would be longer!  
Hope you enjoy. Do not own ATLA.  
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She had no idea where she was going. She'd been running since they'd left that village because Aang had to do some stupid trick to impress some girl. Goodness, would that boy ever grow up?

If he didn't have the need to impress her then they could have stayed in the village longer without anyone knowing they were there. As it turned out the girl Aang was performing for was a daughter of one of the captains from the fire nation regiment that was stationed in the village.

Apparently Aang had told the girl where they were staying because later that night the captain had showed up asking for the avatar. The people that owned the house were an old fire nation couple who didn't believe in the war so they had sheltered the group.

They had kept the children upstairs in the attic. When the captain had come the old woman had told the group to run to the next village, Kobe, which was only two days walk from here. The group had left in a hurry. They had left Appa in an abandoned building outside the town and that's where they had been running to when they happened upon Zuko. Now here she was hiding behind a tree trying to catch her breath.

It would be dark soon so she hoped Zuko would give up the chase. She had run so far that she now came across a river that she had passed when she was with the Aang, Sokka, and Toph. She thought about them, hoping they would continue on to the next town, as she looked at the water hungrily for it had been a while since she bathed and she oh so desperately wanted to feel that water around her again.

She began walking towards the river when she heard someone else. She stopped and hid behind a tree right before the riverbank. She waited patiently to see who the other person could be and she gasped. It was Zuko. _Damn_. He had managed to keep up with her this whole time, he just didn't know how close he was to her.

She gasped again when he began stripping his clothes. _La what is that boy doing? _Katara couldn't help but stare. As the young man peeled his shirt off Katara could see his pale skin in the moonlight. The skin pulling taught over the hard muscles that crossed his back. The moon glowed on his skin, dancing across his muscles like a hand across a piano. Katara couldn't look away. His hand went to the tie around his waist and Katara blushed. As he pulled off his britches Katara could see the firm, round globes of his buttocks and she giggled.

xxx

Zuko looked up. He could have sworn he had heard someone giggle and it definitely sounded like a girl. As he scanned the shore he couldn't see anyone so he shrugged and turned towards the water. Oh how he was desperate for a cold dip, anything to clean up after running through the trees after a water wench for her help. It would definitely be nice to have a servant out here in the wilderness of the earth kingdom.

He had had no idea where his uncle had disappeared too. Two days ago him and his uncle had been traveling north towards the small village of Kobe when he woke up one morning and his uncle was gone. He'd searched for a couple of hours when he had finally given up. If the old man wanted to leave him then so be it, everyone else had.

However, after the second day Zuko began to wonder if his uncle had just left or if he'd been kidnapped. Rather, Uncle-napped. Zuko smacked himself on the forehead. _Uncle-napped? Really? Woooow. I need to get out more. _Zuko had been on his way to the closest village of Nanamake when the girl had stumbled into his lap. He'd been so happy to finally have help that he'd gone a little over board with getting it. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment at reliving what he'd done to that poor girl yesterday.

Zuko was idly swimming when he had the scare of his life.

xxx

Her hand went up to her mouth to try to stifle the sound. She had no idea where that had come from. She had to move as far away as she could because she found herself fantasizing that her hand had been the one to touch his back as the moon had. She wanted to peel off his clothes and kiss every inch of his moonlit body.

Katara stopped. _What on earth has happened to me!_ Katara spun around and walked to the other side of the river away from the object that had distracted her. Then the idea struck her. He was unable to defend himself right now _and _he was completely submerged in her element. He had thought of the idea. A smirk crawled across her face as she turned back towards the river.


	3. Freezing Water

The next chapter will be longer! Keep reading it! All of you Zutara fans will love the sixth chapter! :D **  


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"This feels great" Zuko said out loud to no one in particular. He'd managed to get the grime out of his hair and off of his skin. He had to heat up the water a couple of times because as the night wore on the temperature of the water decreased.

He didn't want to get out, the water's soft lapse against the shore and the cool night breeze with the moon hanging low made it seem like he was in a was so relaxed he didn't hear the person come up behind him until there was a soft splash from behind him. He jerked up, anxious and all of his senses tuned to the figure that stood before him.

"Hey Zuko" Katara said with a smile, "Enjoying yourself?" Katara's smile grew wider as the boy's face turned pink from embarrassment then red to anger.

"What are you doing?" Zuko ground out. Zuko sunk lower into the water to obscure her view of his, ahem, _parts_. Then he realized that he should probably get out of the water and that he'd be in deep if she decided to start bending. He was beginning to get nervous when she just stood there smiling.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked, moving towards the shore where his clothes were.

"Oh nothing" Katara said as she began bending the water that was around Zuko into a block of ice. "I was just thinking about your proposal earlier and how you're very right. It would be lovely to have a servant out here. You could bring me water and food and you could make sure that where we stay for the night will be safe" Katara paused looking at Zuko with a small grin on her face, the block of ice she was making that contained Zuko was growing larger by the second and began to cover most of his body. She knew he'd be able to get out if he wanted to but she was counting on him being too surprised to consider using his bending.

"What do you say Zuko? Be my servant or stay in this block of ice?" Katara almost laughed at the boys' face. She was sure he hadn't thought she'd turn the tables on him. She could see that he was contemplating her offer.

"Fine. Okay Fine. Just turn around so I can get dressed. You're going to freeze off a part of me that I desperately need." Zuko ground out again, he hated that someone had pulled this on him and he hated it even more that it was this water wench.

When Katara had turned around she smiled to herself and laughed softly. She had a servant! She just wanted to laugh out loud, but she didn't. She didn't want to embarrass the poor man. She counted to three and turned around, she didn't want him to run off on her like she had done to him. When she turned around Zuko was tying his pants around his waist and had a chagrined look on his face.

"Hey Zuko, why don't I get dinner tonight that way you can warm up those area's you were worried about." Katara smiled again, she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much, it felt like her cheeks were going to fall off. The look on Zuko's face told her he hadn't expected that from her either. "Just promise you won't run off…"Katara said. When Zuko nodded his head in agreement she walked off towards the deeper part of the river where more fish would be.

Okay, so  
what didn't you like? Aside from the length of the chapter?(:


	4. Fish

Zuko still couldn't believe that _she _had managed to make _him _her servant. Zuko groaned in frustration as his head fell into his hands. He had to admit though; she'd been nice enough to get dinner. He sat there contemplating how to break it to her what had happened when she returned.

"Hey Zuko, I hope you're not still angry. What with me capturing you and all…"Katara gave Zuko a small olive-branch like smile, hoping to draw him into the conversation, when he didn't reply Katara said "…oh, I guess you are. Uhm, could you light a small fire for the fish to be cooked on?"

Katara placed the fish she had captured on their respective spits. She had them wrapped in huge leaves to keep the fishy smell from traveling and to keep the taste inside the fish.

Zuko grunted and a small flame burst from his left palm, lighting the twigs that he had collected earlier before jumping into the water.

"Wow…"Katara said, truly awed by the power that Zuko possessed "and that doesn't hurt?"

Zuko looked at her as if she had grown another head, "No, it doesn't. Does it hurt when you water bend?" Zuko retorted.

"Well no, but water can only hurt you if it's cold or if it gets into your lungs. Fire can be destructive and deadly, killing and burning everything in its path." Katara said matter-of-factly, her eyes on Zuko but her hands placing the fish over the fire to roast.

Zuko contemplated what she'd said. His hand went to his burn and he began to think about what he'd used his fire for. His purpose lately had been hunting down the avatar and he had been hunting him by using his fire to hurt him.

"You said fire _can _be deadly and destructive. Why didn't you say it is? Wasn't it fire that took away your mother?" Zuko asked, hopping he hadn't broached a subject that was too touchy. As he waited for her response all thoughts of her being a water tribe peasant left his mind leaving him with the image of the soft glow of fire dancing across her face.

"No, Zuko. Fire did not take my mother's life. A horrible man did. And not all fire is destructive. This fire in front of us, the one you just created, isn't being destructive. It is cooking our food so that we may eat and it is keeping us warm. Fire is like the breath of life; it is in everyone and keeps us all warm. But without it there would be no life on this world." Katara had been looking at the moon, wishing her mother was there with her, teaching her how to water bend. She missed her mother. When she turned back towards Zuko she froze. He was looking at her funny. His eyes were wide with shock as if what she had said was something he'd never heard before.

"Yes?" Katara asked hesitantly. She checked the fish to make sure they were done before she handed one to Zuko. She began to eat when Zuko spoke.

"Oh…um…It's just…wow." Zuko couldn't find the words he wanted to use. What she had said reminded him so much of uncle he almost thought it was the older man speaking through Katara's mouth. "You just remind me of uncle…"Zuko trailed off and looked down.

"Oh…where is he by the way? Aren't you two attached at the hip or something?" Katara asked, trying to make Zuko smile but failing miserably. She didn't have much interest in the food before her, her interest had been captured by Zuko. She looked up from her fish and noticed that he was picking at his food while looking at the moon. She caught a glimpse of the emotions flickering across his face before his stone mask returned.

"Zuko are you okay? What happened?" She moved closer as her hand reached out to touch Zuko's arm.

"I'm fine." Zuko replied shortly. He pulled his arm away from Katara's touch. He only needed her help finding his uncle. Not her condolences.

Katara was momentarily stunned. Then she became angry.

"Well then. You can clean up after dinner and go to bed. We'll be staying here for the night." Katara walked away. She was amazed at how quickly he could make her emotions change. _Ugh! _She walked towards the water and plopped down on the ground. A string of curses, ones she'd picked up from Sokka, left her mouth as she threw a rock into the water.

She stood up, too angry to sit. She disrobed and waded into the water. She needed to calm down. She began to relax as she went further into the water and felt the water pushing and pulling around her, in harmony. She could feel the power of the moon and she began to smile. She started to bend the water in front of her into small waves that lapped at the shore. She then made a small whirlpool and she let herself get pulled into it. She laughed as she went around and around until the whirlpool began to die down.

She felt so much better. She looked up at the moon and sighed. She should have known that Zuko would be slightly touchy about his uncle. She could still see the fire where they had had dinner and decided it was time she should go back. She got up from the water and began heading back to the shore. She really needed to get a better hold on her emotions. _Bleh…_

Katara put her clothes back on and walked towards the fire hoping the fire bender would be cooled off by now.

xxx

Zuko sat watching Katara walk away, momentarily distracted by the sway of her hips. He shook his head. _Get your head out of the clouds….Who does she think she is anyways? Touching me like that…gosh._ Zuko thought. He looked at the fire and the sticks that he was supposed to 'clean up'. He sat there for a couple of seconds before he picked up the sticks and placed them in the fire, using them as kindle. He sighed and looked up for the water bender.

She had disappeared and he started to panic. Then he noticed her clothes in a heap at the edge of the water and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Then he began imagining what she looked like without her clothes on and the images that popped into his head made his pants feel tight. He looked at his pants and felt more blood rush down there. _What on earth…?_ Zuko could not believe what he was feeling or seeing. He moved his hands to his area and tried to pat it down to make it go away.

He looked up, worried that she'd come back while he still had this bulge in his pants. He didn't see her so he just focused on the fire, trying to forget how she had made him feel. He was so focused that he didn't hear the woman he'd been thinking about approach.

"...Zuko..." Startled he looked behind him and saw her ringing her hair of water and braiding it again. He then looked down at himself and found his bulge was disappearing. _THANK AGNI!_ "Zuko, I'm sorry if I stepped out of bounds earlier, I was just trying to talk to you and I guess I get carried away when my emotions take over." She sat down on the other side of the fire from him and looked at the stars.

"Yeah..." They sat in silence for several minutes, Katara looking at the moon while playing with her hair and Zuko watching her. He was about to trust her with something that he hoped she wouldn't use against him later. "My uncle was taken a couple of days ago, at first I thought he had just left to get some tea but he usually tells me when he leaves to do that. One morning I woke up and he was gone. Not unlike him but when he didn't return for dinner, I knew something was up." He was hoping that she wouldn't betray him later, he had had enough of that.

"Hmm...who would want your uncle though?" Katara asked, moving her gaze from the moon to Zuko's face. She paused for a second when she realized that he had been watching her the whole time.

"...well we did have a run in with a couple of Fire Nation bounty hunters a while ago...but that's ridiculous. We destroyed them, there is no possible way that my uncle was kidnapped by a couple of old people." Zuko tossed a twig into the fire. _Could uncle have been taken by those nut jobs?_ He'd have to hunt the down to see if they had his uncle but he seriously doubted it.

"Well is there anyone else who would take your uncle?" Katara asked as she lay down, placing her hands behind her head. She didn't think Azula had taken Zuko's uncle, she was his niece...but then again she had attacked Zuko on several occasions and they were brother and sister, so that thought was thrown out. "Could it have been your sister?" Katara asked as she turned her head to look at Zuko.

She was gorgeous in the fire light. Her blue eyes capturing the fire's essence and holding it there. Zuko had to blink a couple of times to reassure himself that she was actually real and not some figment of his imagination. She was definitely real, if the detector in his pants told him anything. He coughed and tried to mash it down inconspicuously but he was sure she noticed.

"I had thought it might be Azula but she's in some earth village tracking some guy down that did something. In other words, she's busy." said Zuko as he ran his hand through his hair.

"So then I guess we'll go look for those bounty hunters from a while ago and if they don't have him we'll go look for Azula...sound good?" Katara asked before her yawn made her words non-intelligible.

"We?" Zuko was surprised that she had decided to help, he was pretty sure that she'd say no after he had almost hurt her earlier.

"Yes we. Now get some sleep, I'm tired and we have an early day tomorrow." Katara said before she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

"Okay then..." Zuko said, laying down with one arm behind his head. He looked up at the moon and smiled, thankful that he had someone to help him find his uncle.

"Goodnight Zuko." Katara whispered. He barely heard her and was surprised.

Goodnight..." He replied, he would have felt so awkward being nice to her if he hadn't fallen asleep three seconds after saying it.

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What did you guys think?


	5. River Bed

You were probably wondering what had happened to Aang and Sokka and Toph.  
Because I know I was. So here they are. Perplexed and miserable!  
Please enjoy! :)

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**Aang kept looking behind him, hoping to see Katara run up and greet them. Telling them of how she'd gotten away from the evil prince who kept hunting him. But every time he turned around, she wasn't there. After the third day of Katara's absence Aang became antsy. Sokka wouldn't talk about it but he knew that Katara would be back with them.

"Okay, so what's the plan for today?" Sokka asked him, looking from Toph to Aang hoping someone would answer him.

"Well, Twinkle Toes here wants to go after Sugar Queen…" Toph said for Aang. Aang had become more and more agitated the farther they'd moved away from Katara and Toph had picked up on all his erratic heart beats.

"Well yeah Toph! We can't just leave her with Prince Zuko! Who knows what he'll do to her!" Aang was saying, his voice elevating higher and higher the more he spoke. He was worried that Katara wouldn't be able to get away from the prince. He hoped that Zuko didn't hurt Katara. _It's all my fault; if I'd just given myself up to Zuko then Katara would be okay. _

"Hey twinkle toes, stop thinking like that." Toph admonished. Aang looked up at her in surprise. Had she really just heard his thoughts? No, that was impossible.

"Hey guys, c'mon. We can just fly on Appa and overlook the area that Katara was taken, see if they are still there. Okay?" Sokka said, he knew that Katara was smart and that she'd be able to get away from Zuko. He hadn't been worried until the second day, when Katara didn't show up. He didn't want Aang to know because Aang was already worried enough and they still needed him to learn Earth Bending.

"Okay! We'll do that!" Aang turned around and patted Appa on the head "Appa don't worry we'll find her" Aang leapt up onto the bison's head and waited for Sokka to help Toph aboard. When everyone was on board Aang yelled giddily "Yip Yip!"

Xxx

"Zuko, do you know where we are going?" Katara asked. It had been two days since she'd fallen into her servants lap. She still smiled whenever she thought about how she'd managed to capture him.

When they'd woken up from their place next to the river Zuko had taken them to the nearest village, the one the group had run from three days earlier. They had had to pretend they were married and that Katara was shy. She blushed when she remembered his hand around her waist. She had noticed a slight hitch in his voice when he'd touched her but she thought it was because he was nervous that they might get caught.

Zuko had bought all of their supplies with the money he had kept in his shoe. She had not wanted to touch it when he offered it to her. She put her hand up to her nose to cover the smell and laughed when he looked stunned that she'd do that.

Now they were in the middle of the forest with Zuko to guide them and she could've sworn they'd passed the same tree at least three times. She stopped and waited for him to notice that she was no longer beside him. When he finally turned around he grinned.

"What…get tired water bender?" He asked jokingly, over the past couple of days he'd had gotten more and more comfortable around the young woman. He was becoming more aware of his interest in her and he liked how they were able to joke.

"Yeah Zuko, I'm tired…tired of walking around in circles! Come on, do you really know where we're going?" Katara asked, she liked the man that stood before her but she kept herself from liking him too much. There had to be boundaries.

Zuko laughed, "We are not going around in circles, and I can promise you that." He said arrogantly, and to prove that he was right he left a scorch mark on a tree they were standing by and said "let's keep moving, and if I'm walking around in circles then we'll come back to this spot wont we?"

So they kept moving and sure enough they came right back to the scorched tree. Zuko stopped; his mouth wide open.

"But how…."Zuko pondered aloud. He was embarrassed and a little angry. They had been traveling for several hours now only to learn that they'd been going in circles.

"Can I lead now your highness?" Katara asked, poking his shoulder as she walked by. She smiled, she liked this teasing thing they had going on between them. It was comfortable and safe. Katara wasn't one to lie or mince words; she knew the prince was handsome. The hard part was keeping herself immune to his good looks and charm, when he decided to use it.

All Katara got was a grunt. She smiled and walked off the path that their feet had trodden into the ground. Ten minutes later they found a dried up river bed that Katara was sure she'd seen before. She looked up and down the bed, to the left there was an old bridge that was rotting and falling apart and to the right the bed continued on.

"Maybe that bridge leads somewhere Zuko." Katara said, pointing to the bridge.

"Not anywhere that people are. Katara, this bridge is old and decrepit. It probably hasn't even been used in the last one hundred years. What if it just gets us lost? Then you'll be responsible this time!" Zuko said, when Katara continued walking forward he smacked his forehead with his palm and let his head droop. When would he learn to just shut up and follow her? _Never_ Zuko thought. He looked up to see that she was already half way to the bridge when a dust cloud from the right side of the bridge was moving towards them.

"Katara!" Zuko yelled as he ran after her and pulled her down to the dried bed. He was surprised at how fast he'd run to catch her. His adrenaline must have been responsible. He pulled them over the right side of the ridge, his arm around Katara's middle holding her close to his body to keep her from moving into the view of whoever was above them.

"What? What is it?" Katara whispered. She had not expected to be tackled to the ground and end up with a face full of dirt. But she had to admit, being in Zuko's arms made her heart rush and her veins fill with something that made her body tingle.

She couldn't help but look up at his face. He had the most amazingly beautiful alabaster skin she'd ever seen. It was unblemished save for his scar but that didn't detract from his handsomeness. It made him more dangerous and more appealing; it added mystery to his person. She noted the straight line of his nose, definitely the nose of an aristocrat. His golden honey eyes were something else though; they contained a fire of their own. There was so much depth and hurt and anger there, but there was also a sense of good and righteousness. She knew that he was a good person, even though he had been following them for a year. Her eyes moved to his lips. They looked as smooth as a stone that had been beaten and smoothed by the ocean waves.

His shaggy hair covered most of his face but it just added to the overall mystery of the man she knew as Zuko. She could feel under his clothing the taught muscles that only came with training and diligence a bender needed. The muscles in his arm that curled around her made her feel weak and she was glad that he held her up for she didn't know if she would've been able to stand on her own being this close to him.

She wanted him to look at her and connect with her. Oh how she longed to feel the coolness of his lips and taste him. Her mind began to wonder to other possibilities that went with a kiss and she smiled. Despite her efforts to keep it away, Zuko noticed it and sent her a questioning look.

He'd felt like his face was on fire and he only felt that way when someone was staring at him. When he'd looked around he didn't see anyone. Then it hit him that the person staring at him was the woman in his arms. He looked down for a second and saw her perusing his face, looking at his scar, watching his hair flitter around his face. When she'd stared at his lips intently he had wanted to crush her to him. But he daren't move. The people above them still hadn't left. They'd begun talking and now wasn't the time to kiss the woman he'd been dreaming about.

When he caught Katara's eye he tried to ask her what she was doing but she just smiled. She moved closer to him. He wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been so keen to her presence. He could smell the soft jasmine that wafted from her hair and her skin and he tried to inhale deeply without alerting her to what he was doing.

"He's not here lieutenant. Azula must have sent us on a fool's errand because there is nothing out here. General Iroh escaped and we have to tell her that we can't find him." One of the men said.

"We? You are the captain sir. That is one woman that I would rather not be the bearer of bad news for." The lieutenant said.

"I don't want to be either…maybe if she got laid she'd be happier…"The captain said out loud and both men laughed. The two men mounted their beasts and left the way they'd come.

"So Azula did have your uncle!" Katara practically screamed, as she bumped against Zuko in her fit of being right. She looked up at him with a grin and knocked him in the shoulder.

"Heh…yeah, now all we have to do is find him." Zuko said complacently. He felt like he was in a trance, she'd brushed up against him on accident but he had felt every inch of her body through her clothes and he wanted more. When she looked up at him with that grin of hers all he wanted to do was kiss her. The punch she'd landed him swiftly took that notion away.

"Zuko, are you all right?" Katara asked, her grin wavering, being replaced by a concerned frown. "We need to rest, we've been going for a whole day in circles," Katara grinned up at him, "and we could use the break, maybe get a nap in and you can think about what to do next." Not waiting for him to agree, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up the river bank towards the trees.

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Things are starting to happen between the two benders...  
And where on earth is Uncle?  
(:


	6. Snowballs

Hey guys, so this chapter is longer. I added more about the rest of the group.  
Slight Tokka (does that not remind anyone else of the word taco?)  
My favorite chapter by far (:

* * *

"Aang, they aren't here anymore, they have obviously left and we have no idea where they've gone." Sokka said as he watched the young air bender search every tree for Katara, "And I don't think she'll be in a tree Aang. Just saying."

"But she has to be somewhere Sokka, she wouldn't have let Zuko take her without a fight…What if we went back to that village and ask if they passed through there? Sokka, you and Toph will have to go because they'll recognize me." Aang was being oddly calm about the situation, aside from searching through trees for Katara. Sokka had no idea how to handle the calm Aang, it scared him. He had no idea what the calm Aang could or would do.

"Uh…okay. It's about an hour's walk from here so you'll have to drop us off closer." Sokka said, "And Toph, we'll have to disguise ourselves so the guards won't recognize us. "

Toph just grunted as she was hoisted up into the saddle on the back of the massive bison. She'd never get used to flying but she had to admit she enjoyed the wind in her face.

"So how are we going to disguise ourselves Sokka? Are you going to pretend to be my servant?" Toph asked with a short laugh.

"Uh, well I was thinking we could probably play off a more couple role instead because people would be less suspecting of a couple than a woman and her servant. It will also make more sense when I ask about Katara because it will be like I'm asking about my sister…which I am doing." Sokka said matter-of-factly.

Toph blushed. The thought of being Sokka's wife was intriguing and it would be fun to pretend with her crush that they were actually together. "Oh okay." Was all Toph could say.

Once they landed near the village Sokka took Toph's arm in his and guided her to the village, they asked around the shops about a woman with brown hair that would be traveling with a young man who had a burn. Toph let her imagination wonder and let herself pretend for a second that this pretend relationship with Sokka was real and it made her smile and blush.

"Oh yes! I know the couple that you speak of. Newlyweds they are and so cute to! The woman was so shy; she hid behind a hat that I sold to her husband. Their love was most assuredly real. A wonder they found each other in this time." An old store keeper said her gnarled hands moving up to her face to cradle her chin as she remembered the couple.

"Oh, uhm, yes, she is my sister. We were supposed to meet her but I guess they moved on. Do you know where they were going?" Sokka asked, trying to mask the surprise that arose when he'd heard that his sister and the enemy were pretending to be married.

"I can't say but I did sell them some traveling gear and some food. I can tell you that they are truly happy together and they joke and kid. It is refreshing to see such love during a time of great sorrow." The old woman said. "Are you and you're wife newlywed as well?" The woman's eyes glowed with a happiness that made Sokka smile.

"Why yes, this is my lovely wife Toph. She is blind but that didn't stop her from seeing my handsome smile and bulging muscles." Sokka boasted as he wrapped his arms around Toph who laughed.

"Yes, his handsome smiles. It was more him saving me from drowning than anything else that made me fall in love with him ma'am." Toph added to their story. The reason her crush started was because he had saved her and she was deeply thankful to him for doing that.

"Oh dear! He is one brave man. I am so happy that you two have found each other. This war is affecting everyone, even the young. I hope you two enjoy your lives together. OH! And your sister and brother-in-law traveled that way." The woman said as she pointed the direction in which Sokka and Toph were heading. "Good luck finding them!"

_How long does it take to get information! _Aang hated waiting around, it was almost sundown on the third day that Katara had been away from them and he was beginning to fear the worst. _Where are there? Where is Katara! Why haven't we found her yet!_ Aang was pacing back in forth between two massive oak trees and every time he turned around Momo would follow him.

"You know if you keep doing that you'll leave a massive dent in the ground." Sokka said. Toph laughed as she felt the worried steps of Aang stop and run towards them.

"So! Did you find out anything!" Aang said, practically hauling Sokka out of his shirt.

"Yes, calm down, calm down. Apparently Katara is working with Zuko because they pretended to be husband and wife in the village to buy goods. I can't think of any other reason for her to pretend to be married to that creep unless she was being forced. But even then she'd fight back. There has to be a reason she's still with him Aang." Sokka braced himself for the worst. He looked at Toph, she was in a fighting stance, ready to bend a stone fortress around Aang to contain the fury they both expected.

Aang stood still, absorbing the news. When he finally spoke it was not what either one of them had expected.

"They were pretending to be married?" His voice sounded small and dead.

"Yeah, it was to get supplies Aang. The woman we talked to told us what direction they went in so we can continue to follow them." Sokka said, slightly worried about the air bender.

"Yeah Aang, if we get close enough I'll be able to detect them if we're on the ground." Toph added, feeling a storm brewing within the young air bender before her.

"O-okay." Aang sagged and walked back to the bison who groaned something only the avatar could understand.

"It's almost sunset; do you want to start tomorrow? Or fly as far as we can tonight?" Sokka asked, walking towards the young man and kneeling in front of him. Sokka placed a hand on Aang's shoulder and looked into the boys eyes. He knew that Aang loved his sister so he could only imagine what hearing about the two pretending to be married must have done to him. "Aang, they were just pretending. You know Katara; she usually has a good reason for doing the things she does."

Aang looked away from Sokka and nodded. "We should travel tonight until the sun goes down so we don't completely lose them." With that, the three of them climbed aboard Appa and flew towards the sunset.

XXX

"What an amazing day. Don't you think?" Katara asked Zuko. She looked over at him and smiled. They'd traveled in circles and found an old abandoned town where they were now hunkered down. "You know I can honestly say that I didn't think traveling with you would be so fun and entertaining." Katara said as she poked the flames in front of her with the stick she'd used for their supper.

"Fun and entertaining? You are something else Katara. We wasted half of the day going in circles and then we were almost captured by Azula's soldiers. How can that be fun or entertaining?" Zuko asked back, completely confused by her smile and cheery tone. He felt like such a fool for leading them in circles and then when he'd pulled her under the bridge he had loved being so close to her but he thought nothing of it.

"Wow, talk about a party pooper. You know Zuko, not everything has to be looked at as a bad thing. Look at it like this, because we were going around in circles we wasted time. Having wasted that time it set us up to be in the right spot to hear that your sister actually had your uncle and that he escaped! I don't understand you sometimes…"Katara looked at him, hurt at first by his insults but after brushing them off she smiled again. "So…all we have to do now is find Iroh before Azula does. I wonder why she took him in the first place…" Katara pondered out loud, looking at Zuko, hoping he'd fill in what she was missing. When he didn't she threw a rock at him.

"Heeyy! What was that for?" Zuko said as he picked up the rock she threw and threw it back at her.

"Hey! I was trying to get your attention! Mr. SPACEY!" She threw the rock back and smirked when it hit him in chest.

"Mr. spacey? Really Ms. Talkative!" Zuko laughed back as he tossed the rock back at her.

"UH! The only reason I talk so much is because you barely talk at all!" Katara said through giggles. The rock he'd thrown at her hit her in the forehead and almost made her pee herself. She couldn't throw the rock back because she was laughing so hard.

They both laughed for a couple of minutes. When their fits of giggles died down they couldn't remember what was so funny but they both smiled anyway.

"You have pretty good aim for a girl Katara." Zuko commented as he looked into the fire with a smile on his face.

"Well duh Zuko, I grew up with Sokka for a brother. I had to have good aim to cream him with snowballs." Katara said with a smile and sad eyes. She missed her brother and Aang and Toph. She hoped they were doing okay. She hadn't really thought about them in her time with Zuko but that was probably because she'd been worried at first and then preoccupied with keeping up with him.

Her smiled faded as she stared into the fire. She wondered what they were doing right now. She hoped Toph hadn't gone insane with having to deal with both Aang and Sokka. _Goodness gracious, what that poor girl has to deal with._ Katara thought and pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it while she thought.

"Snowballs?" Zuko asked, pulling Katara out of her reverie. She looked at him weirdly.

"Yeah, snowballs. You know, like snow in the shape of a ball?" Katara was completely shocked that it made her forget her previous thoughts and made her jaw drop.

"Yeah the stuff that covers the southern and northern poles. But why would you throw it at each other in the form of balls?" Zuko looked at her "What?" when he saw that her mouth was open.

"You have never experienced a snowball fight? Oh my goodness. It is the most fun you can have. It's like throwing balls or rocks at your sibling but being able to get away with it because it's a game. Sokka and I played it before the fire nation came to our village. We had so much fun and I'd always get Sokka right in the nose." Katara said with a small smile on her face. Zuko was watching her and he noticed that the topic made her glum. He wanted to comfort her but he felt uncomfortable with that thought so he tried to change the subject.

"Hmm. We will have to see just how good you are with these snow balls. I'm pretty sure I'd beat you." Zuko said, lightly tossing a small rock towards Katara that barely hit her boot. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You could barely get my boot Zuko. The rock that hit my forehead was a lucky shot. Bet you can't do it again!" Katara said, her eyes daring him to try it. She stood up, giving herself the advantage of being taller than him. That is, she had the advantage until he stood up, acknowledging her dare and holding a rock in his hand.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Katara said as she bolted past him towards the river bed they'd been in earlier. Zuko ran after her, smiling and laughing and feeling happier than he'd felt in a long time. He kept only a few feet behind her and grabbed her right before the river bed.

He turned her around in his arm and looked into her eyes with a smile. "Gotchya" he whispered and lightly bounced the rock off of her forehead. She giggled and blushed. He suddenly became aware of how close they were and felt his face flush with an unfamiliar heat. He wrapped his other arm around her and placed his hands on the small of her back. His eyes were captivated by her lips. They quivered ever so slightly and then her tongue flicked out to wet her lips and he was lost.

He felt her warm hands touch his chest as if to protest but when he kissed her lips, her hands wrapped around his neck to pull him closer. He was slightly stunned that she'd let him kiss her, but was even more stunned that she'd kiss him back.

So...What did you guys think?


	7. Reunited

Hey guys. It has come to my attention that everything is moving a little fast.  
So...:) Hopefully you'll like this chapter. I tried to bring everyone back together.  
I'd love some feedback, I'm not too sure how this chapter came out, I kind of wrote it  
while I was sick...so reviews would be helpful.  
Thank you!  
...

"Katara! Where are you!" Aang walked ahead of the rest of them, hoping to find some trace of the woman he loved. He came to a well-trodden path. He followed it until he came across a scorched tree. His face paled. Aang hoped to his core that Katara hadn't been burned by Zuko. He followed the path a little longer until he noticed a fork in the path, well a less trodden path next to the one he was currently on.

He decided to follow it after leaving an arrow in the ground to show Sokka which way he had gone. He walked a little ways until he came to a ridge. In the dark he believed it was a cliff until he noticed the outline of a bridge to his left. He walked over to the bridge and tried to walk across it only to learn that there were several pieces missing, one major piece being the floor of the bridge.

Aang jumped across the river bed and continued down the path. He walked through trees and more trees. _These trees are probably as old as me_ Aang thought, wondering what the trees had seen in their several hundred years of existence.

He walked a couple more feet when he noticed a small glow coming from a town. _A town!_ Aang thought. _I've got to find Sokka and Toph! Katara and Zuko should be there!_ So Aang turned around and practically flew to where Sokka and Toph were. They had just reached the arrow that Aang left for them in the trail.

"Guys! I think I've found them!" Aang said excitedly as he grabbed both Sokka and Toph's arms. He dragged them across the river bed towards the small town. Sokka was the first one to notice.

"Uh…Aang. This town looks abandoned." Sokka looked at the excited boy in front of him.

"Which would make the perfect place to hunker down for the night for an exiled prince and his slave dontchya think?" Aang said even more eager to reach the abandoned buildings and begin looking. "And besides, I think I know where they are. Earlier I saw a glow which I'm pretty sure came from a fire. So if we just find it again…" Aang said, searching for the glow, "…we should be able to find them!"

They walked into the abandoned town and everything was dark except for the one glow coming from their right. It was a small glow and by an opening in the massive wall that surrounded the town. As they got closer they could hear voices, two to be exact. One sounded oddly familiar and the other sounded rough and rakish.

Sokka was at the front of the group and he put up his arm up to halt Aang and Toph. He turned and mouthed _STAY HERE _and continued forward. He walked to the edge of the wall and poked his head around. His jaw dropped at what he saw.

How could his sister sit by a fire next to the enemy! And she looked happy too! _What is this world coming to!_ Sokka yelled inside his head. He watched as his sister explained what a snowball fight was. _No you did not Katara; I always got you in the nose! _Sokka laughed at her in his head, suddenly really confused Sokka frowned, _why is she telling Zuko her life story?_

"Hmm, we will have to see just how good you are with these snow balls. I'm pretty sure I'd beat you." Sokka heard Zuko say as he watched the boy toss a rock as his sisters' shoe.

"You could barely get my boot Zuko. The rock that hit my forehead was a lucky shot. Bet you can't do it again!" His sister said as she stood up to tower over Zuko. When Zuko stood up with a grin on his face, it hit Sokka that they were flirting. _Oh my goodness_ Sokka whispered in his head. _No_.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Katara said as she bolted past Zuko towards the river bed that Sokka was sure they'd crossed to get here. When Zuko ran after her Sokka let out a breath he'd been holding.

_Oh. My. Goodness._ Sokka stared at nothing with his mouth open. What was he going to tell Aang? _Nothing, I can't tell him anything. _With Katara's campsite abandoned for a couple of minutes Sokka thought it best to surprise both her and Zuko with the group sitting around the fire when they returned.

Sokka turned back towards Aang and Toph and just stared at them. For a second nobody spoke.

"Was it them?" Aang asked, wringing his hands together completely nervous and worried.

"Yes Aang. They both went somewhere for a second so we can probably surprise them when they get back. We'll just sit by the fire and wait for their return. They shouldn't be too long. I don't know where they went off too but it's not like they could have gone far if they've already made camp for the night. Right?" Sokka said. Trying to not think of what had happened between his sister and the fire boy.

"Okay. Okay. Sounds good. Wait by the fire. Good." Aang said. Toph's unseeing eyes sought out Sokka with a questioning glance. Sokka grabbed her arm and walked her towards the fire.

"I'll tell you in a bit." He was sure that Toph had felt the two teenagers' excitement as they ran from the camp.

Sokka, Aang and Toph sat by the fire and awaited the return of their friend and enemy, unsure of what to expect.

XXX

Zuko had kissed her. All thoughts had left her mind the second his lips had landed on hers. Katara was lost. She was swept away in a sea of passion she did not understand. What brought her back to reality was his hand moving up her back and the other hand pulling her body closer to his. Feeling him completely engulf her terrified her. She opened her eyes and pulled away.

She looked up at Zuko and saw his confusion and hurt. She was too scared to acknowledge his pain and just focused on herself.

"Zuko, I can't…" Katara brought her hand to her swollen lips and touched them gingerly. "I'm so sorry." She ran passed him towards their camp, wanting to be alone. She didn't understand what had happened; she only knew that she wasn't ready for that.

_What the heck just happened?_ Zuko was still stunned by everything. He had no idea what had happened. He had just kissed her and she had kissed him back. Then she pulled away. He ran a hand through his hair. _What did I do?_ Zuko was worried now; he hoped that by kissing her he hadn't changed her mind in helping him find his uncle.

He ran back towards the fire and heard voices. He stopped and sunk to the ground, ready to attack if the situation became dangerous for her.

XXX

"Aang! Toph? SOKKA!" Katara was so happy that she forgot why she'd been upset. She ran towards her brother and tackled him to the ground with a hug. "Oh man I've missed you so much! What have you guys been up to? How did you find us?" Katara was so happy until she remembered what had happened. She quickly sobered up and looked at them. She hadn't waited for their responses to her questions.

"Okay, so I know what you're thinking. Why am I traveling with Zuko…right? That's what you want to know?" Katara paused, waiting for Aang, Sokka and Toph to take in what she'd said. When they nodded she continued. "I'll tell you what happened from the beginning, after you guys left. After he 'captured' me, he told me that I'd be his servant and help him. So I ran. I ran towards a river and it turned out that Zuko had managed to follow me but didn't know where I was. He got in the water and I 'captured' him. He became my 'servant'. He told me that someone had kidnapped his uncle and he asked for my help in locating him. I agreed and we've been traveling ever since. Earlier today we heard that Azula had captured his uncle and that his uncle had escaped. We had decided to stay here for night and search this area tomorrow in hope of finding Iroh." Katara was breathless.

Everyone stared at her. She could tell that this was not what they expected. Some leaves moved, revealing Zuko.

"Hey Katara…oh it looks like we have company." Zuko said, trying to ease the awkwardness that had set upon the group at the telling of their story. "Have you guys eaten?" Zuko asked, hoping this would give him an opportunity to leave and find some food.

"No we haven't! Food sounds great right now Zuko! Thanks!" Sokka said a little too happily for Katara. He knew something and Katara wondered what it was.

"Okay, I'll go hunt something down." Zuko said as he left. _Phew. With Katara handling it on her own, everything should be fine. _Zuko walked away from the camp just as Aang started to speak.

"Katara thank goodness you are all right. I was so worried. I thought Zuko hurt you when I saw the scorch mark on the tree. How have you been? Is Zuko acting like a tyrant? I thought you said he was your servant?" Aang moved to sit next to Katara as he spoke. He wanted to be as close to her as he could, he wanted to protect her from Zuko, like he had failed to do when she had fallen into Zuko's lap.

"Aang I'm fine." Katara said with a smile. "The scorch mark on the tree was left by Zuko. We had been traveling in circles thanks to his highness. It was left there to mark our spot." Katara laughed at the memory. "I'm just so happy to see you guys again! I've missed you all terribly. How are you Toph? I hope it wasn't too terrible dealing with these two…" Katara said as she placed a hand on Toph's shoulder.

"Oh sugar queen, everything was fine. Aang was freaking out about you and Sokka wasn't as hungry as he usually is….wait, yeah there were some problems. But we managed and we've found you now. We went to that village and heard that you and Zuko pretended to be married. How awkward was that?" Toph asked as he laughed and punched Katara in the arm.

Katara chuckled slightly, happy to have her friends back around her. She noticed that Sokka was oddly silent and that he had a slight frown on his face.

"It was awkward Toph but we had to do it to buy some supplies. He didn't have anything when he captured me and Aang had all of our supplies. So the most logical choice was the village. How did you guys found out about that anyway?" Katara asked, a little embarrassed that they'd found out about it.

"Oh, Sokka and I did the same thing. We went into the village and Sokka asked around about his sister and some old lady said you had passed through a couple days earlier. She said that you were happily married and that you were traveling. She was such a nice lady." Toph explained, blushing a little at the memory of Sokka's hand on her waist.

"Oh really?" Katara asked, grinning, "Where was Aang?" Katara turned the boy that sat next to her with a questioning glance.

"I waited outside of the village with Appa and Momo. I didn't want the fire nation soldiers to notice me and take us in." Aang said he had hoped that finding Katara would alleviate his worry but something still nagged at him. He had no idea what it was.

"Where are Appa and Momo?" Katara asked, searching the area around them for the furry beasts.

"Oh, Appa is behind that wall over there and Momo is finding some food. When we were waiting for you here I went back for them because I'd left them in this hiding spot. I wanted to find you as fast as I could. Appa missed you Katara." Aang said as he looked down at his hand _I missed you._ Aang would never be able to tell her how he felt.

"I missed him too!" Katara said as she leapt up, "Sokka, will you come with me for a second." Katara said as she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him after her.

"Heeyy!" Sokka said as he managed to pull himself free of her grip and walk behind her. "You could have just left it at asking me, I would have gotten up and followed you."

"What is going on Sokka? You've barely said two words to me all night." Katara confronted him. She did not need another male in her life right now to annoy her. She needed a rock and she had hoped that it would be Sokka.

"Why are you flirting with the enemy Katara? I saw you two. You were throwing rocks at each other and telling him about snowball fights. What was that? Then you ran off letting him chase you. La only knows what happened when you two were gone. Katara, what is going on?" Sokka asked. He was worried about his sister and angry with her. She should know better than to flirt with the enemy.

"I wasn't flirting Sokka. We're just friends and he knows that. You should too. A lot has changed in the past three days. He isn't the same person he was, he wants to find his uncle and I'm helping him do that. Now that you guys are here you can help too which should make this go faster so we can be on our way." Katara was nervous she didn't know that Sokka had seen her and Zuko run off. It was a good thing that he had not decided to come looking for them because he would have been very angry if he had caught them kissing.

"Just friends…Okay. So we'll help him find his uncle and then we'll continue with our own plans. Don't think that after helping him find his uncle that he'll change and stop hunting Aang. I was surprised when he left." Sokka said. He knew something was going on between his sister and the fire bender. He hoped that she knew what she was doing and that the fire bender wouldn't take advantage of her.

"Yeah, yeah you know Sokka. I've really missed you. I mean Zuko can be funny but not like you." Katara said as she hugged her brother.

"I've missed you too little sister." Sokka hugged her back, thankful that she was all right.

What do you think?  
I personally love Zuko's willingness to protect Katara(:


	8. Blanket

I've been listening to Elvis. Gives me ideas for later chapters.  
Thank you everyone for taking the time to review the chapters when you're done! :)  
"I won't share you with another boy..." - The Police

It had been at least an hour since he'd gone off to find food for Sokka and the rest of them, mainly Sokka. He had already found two turkey ducks, both had been relatively small. Zuko sat on a fallen tree and listened to the nocturnal animals.

_We're just friends. We're just friends. We're _just _friends. _Why did that bother him so much? It's not like he wanted more. Did he? No he couldn't, they were just friends. He kept repeating it to himself. _We're just friends. Just friends…_

He wished he hadn't overheard Katara talking to her brother. He hadn't known that Sokka had been watching them. He was only thankful that he hadn't come looking for them. He did not want to deal with the crazy psycho brother and the woman he'd kissed at the same time. He rubbed his face with his free hand and sighed.

"I should probably be getting back to everyone else." Zuko had a lot to think about. When they found his uncle, Katara would leave. He knew it was what would have happened so it didn't bother him too much. He just wanted to find his uncle so he could rid himself of the girl and her distractions.

That's what he started to believe. That Katara was just a distraction. By the time he arrived back at the camp he had pushed her out of his mind and made her nothing more than assistance.

"Heyyyy! You're baaack!" Sokka yelled excited to see what the prince had brought back for him. "Ooooh, are those turkey ducks? Those are delicious…and semi cooked I see." Sokka looked up at him and offered him a small grin. _So he's going to try to be friendly_ Zuko thought _well I guess if there is food involved Sokka will be friendly. _Zuko smiled and chuckled.

"Yep, two turkey ducks, I figured Sokka would eat a whole one by himself and Toph and Aang could split the other one. Katara and I already ate." Zuko tossed the food to Sokka and walked towards Katara. He looked at her and tried to apologize with his eyes but she looked away. He sat down next to her and sighed, again. _So much for blocking her out _Zuko thought.

"So Zuko, Azula kidnapped your uncle…"Sokka said, thinking, "wouldn't that be more like uncle-napping because he really isn't a kid?" Sokka asked, laughing at his joke. "Heh, heh, get it. UNCLE-napped, 'cause it's his uncle…heh. Get it?" Sokka's laughter died down when he noticed that no one else joined in.

"That's funny because I thought the same thing." Zuko said, smiling to himself, "it makes more since, uncle-napped." Zuko saw Sokka smile a weird grin thing and had no idea what it meant.

"See I'm not the only one who thought of it people." Sokka said matter-o-factly. He had finished plucking the turkey ducks of their feathers and proceeded to further cook them. "So you have any idea of where your uncle is Zuko?"

"Actually no, Katara and I were going to begin searching around here tomorrow morning. I figured the guards wouldn't have come all the way out here if they didn't think Uncle was here." Zuko explained, his eyes moving over everyone, momentarily feeling like he belonged somewhere.

"Yeah, we decided to check out this old run down town during the day to see if he could be here. I'm sure there are tons of places for a prisoner to hide." Katara added, she had allowed herself time to block out her emotions towards Zuko before she had spoken.

"What is this place anyway?" Toph asked she could feel the demolished buildings all around her and she had felt their weakened structures through the ground and wanted to know what had taken place here.

"When we first got here we thought it was abandoned. Then Zuko found this parchment that was stuck on a piece of wood. It read 'Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.' Neither of us could figure out what it meant but Zuko said that it was his uncle who had written it and left it there so we could find it." Katara said, rolling her eyes to show everyone else that she didn't believe it either.

"Hey! My uncle usually says weird crap that nobody but him can understand. So it only makes sense that he had left it here. So now we've just got to find him." Zuko said he didn't think he would have to defend himself against Katara as well.

"Oh, to answer your question Toph; this is a town that we guessed was attacked by some fire nation soldiers. Everything is destroyed and there are scorch marks on everything." Katara said, "Have you two eaten yet?" Katara asked Toph and Aang. When both of them shook their heads everyone turned to look at Sokka.

"What?" Sokka said his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"We thought you were cooking the meat for everyone boomerang guy." Katara said as she stood up, placing a hand on her hip. "Do I need to cook the food?" She said with a small smile, happy to have Sokka back.

He cowed away from his menacing sister and left her to her devices. He took the only seat that was available, the one that Katara had vacated, and sat right next to Zuko. He could tell that something had happened when they had both disappeared into the trees. He couldn't ask Zuko because Aang sat only a few feet away. He still owed Toph an explanation about earlier too.

"So…fire bending guy. What's up?" Sokka said, trying to break the cone of silence that seemed to have encased them.

"Nothing really boomerang guy. I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day…I think I'm going to go to sleep for the night. Night guys." Zuko excused himself and walked towards his pack by the wall. He took out a thin blanket that he used as a pillow and placed in on the ground. He nestled down as he tried to get comfortable. He placed a hand behind his head and looked up at the stars.

He was not going to be able to get Katara alone any time soon. _Damn. What timing!_ Her friends had to show up right when things were getting interesting. Zuko wanted to scream, he wanted to talk to Katara. He wanted to find out what had made her pull away, but mostly, he wanted to kiss her again.

"Okay here's your food. Where are you guys going to sleep?" Katara asked as she passed out pieces of meat from the cooked birds.

"We'll just sleep on Appa." Aang said as he beamed up at her when she passed him some food. "What about you Katara? Where are you sleeping?" He looked around; searching for a pack that looked like the one Zuko had walked towards.

"Oh, Zuko has my stuff in his pack. I'll just go over there and get it. I usually sleep by the fire. You're welcome to join me." Katara offered. Appa was on the other side of the wall a good distance away from where she and Zuko had stopped for the night. She wasn't terribly worried but she knew Zuko wanted to talk to her. She just didn't want to wake up and see him hovering over her…_actually I do but nobody needs to know and he most definitely will not!_ She owed him an explanation but she was too nervous to get near him again. She had to though, just for tonight. She knew there was something between them and that scared her.

She stood up and walked over to where Zuko lay. She didn't want to disturb him because he looked so peaceful, sleeping with one arm behind his head and the other laying over his chest. She knew he was asleep by his slow deep breathing. _You can't fake that. _She wanted to caress his face and kiss his lips again. She wanted to feel him pressed up against her and his arms around her. She was staring at his lips when he looked up at her.

"Katara, do you need something?" He asked. _Apparently you can fake it_ Katara thought as she froze.

"Oh uh...yeah I need my blanket. I'm going to be sleeping by the fire. Where is it?" She asked trying to cover up her staring.

"It's in the pack," he said, "which is right next to me." He pointed to the bag that was sitting by his head. It was rather large and hard to miss.

"Uhh. Right. Thanks." Katara said opening the bag and trying to get her blanket out quickly so she didn't have to be near him any longer.

"Hey, Katara, about earlier…"Zuko started, she really hoped he was trying to apologize. "I shouldn't have done it. We're just friends after all." He said as he stared at her. She stopped moving and was speechless. _We're just friends_. Now why did it sting when he said it?

"Yeah, no, you're right. We're just friends." She tried to put a smile on but could feel the tears coming. _Not now!_ She was still tugging on her blanket when a tear slipped from her control. She was too lost to try to bend it out of Zuko's sight.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked as he sat up and wiped away the unwanted tear. Just then Aang walked over.

"Hey what's going on?" Aang asked, he hadn't seen the tear that had fallen from Katara's eye but he had seen Zuko wipe something from her face.

"Oh nothing Aang, I was just telling Zuko how happy I was that you guys are traveling with us. I couldn't hold back my happy tears any longer." Katara smiled through some more tears. She knew the tears weren't because she was happy to have them back. She was pretty sure Zuko knew that too. _I can't believe I CRIED! Oh my gosh! Spirits just take me now! PLEASE!_ She looked up at Aang and smiled as she wiped the wet marks from her face.

"We're happy to be traveling with you too Katara! I'll sleep by the fire tonight to keep you company." Aang said, "I'll go get something to sleep on." He created an air scooter and quickly vanished.

"Katara, why are you crying," Zuko said once the boy had left, "the real reason this time." He placed a hand on her shoulder and to her chin, gently lifting her face up to his so she would look at him.

"Zuko, I told you and Aang why I was crying. Traveling without them just caught up to me is all." She said as she fought the urge to fall into his open arms and snuggle close to him. She didn't want to be _just_ friends.

She knew he didn't buy it but she smiled anyways and calmed down. She opened the bag some more and pulled out her blanket. She looked around; Toph looked like she was asleep. It was hard to tell if a blind person was asleep because you never knew if they were asleep when they were lying down or if they were just lying there. Katara noticed that Sokka was out cold with a turkey duck leg in his hand. He was snoring slightly. She smiled at him. She had truly missed her brother. Aang was just coming back and placed some hay that he'd found on the ground. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and turned back towards Zuko.

She was momentarily taken back by the intense look on his face as he stared at Aang but she simply placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Zuko, we have an early day tomorrow. Get some sleep. Goodnight." She wanted to kiss him goodnight instead of just saying it. She felt a tug on her heart to lean in and kiss him. She stood up and let her hand linger on his warm skin.

"Goodnight Katara." He said as he moved his hand to cover hers. She moved it after their hands touched and she smiled. His eyes followed her back to the fire where Aang was cleaning up. He watched Aang go up to her and smile, say something then hug her. She hugged him back and Zuko felt something twitch inside of him. He couldn't be jealous of the little air bender…could he?

Zuko is jealous of Aang!  
And what did that note mean that Zuko and Katara found?  
Uncle-napped...hehe(:


	9. Dagger

(: Hey everyone! I'd like to thank everyone again for their awesome reviews!  
Without you to read this…I guess this would just be my hobby! (:  
"I'm gonna stick like glue, stick because I'm, stuck on you." -Elvis

"We've been looking for hours! He's obviously not here! That note was probably just something some random person wrote before this town was destroyed." Sokka complained. They'd been up since sunrise looking for Iroh. _He's just a fat old man, why are we even bothering to look for him?_ Sokka yelled inside his head. "You know Aang and Toph have already stopped for the day, they're practicing Aang's earth bending. Why don't we just go find some lunch and continue searching afterwards?"

With that Zuko and Sokka set out to find food, leaving Katara alone in the town still looking for Iroh. There had to be more to his small note than she was seeing. She tried to remember what the note said. _Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures_. Katara smiled, oh she did relish small pleasures; especially the one small pleasure she'd had with Zuko before her friends had shown up.

_Hmmm….I wonder…_ Katara had been standing inside of a small building that smelled faintly of jasmine tea. She had no idea what had made her stop inside this building but she had. With her thought she left the small building and walked towards where they had camped for the night. She passed other buildings, larger ones with scorch marks on the walls that weren't demolished. It wasn't too hard to imagine what had happened here. As she neared the campsite she noticed that the hole in the wall that led to their fire. There were definite signs of scorch marks that could only have been left by fire benders, but there was something carved into one of the scorch marks. She moved closer and touched it. The carving felt like a small flower but she had no idea what kind of flower.

_Odd…_Katara thought as she walked towards the extinguished fire and towards the spot where she and Zuko had shared that kiss last night. Just the thought of it made her veins rush with excitement.

She arrived at the spot and looked around. There was nothing special about it. The only thing separating it from the other areas around it was that it stood fairly higher than the rest. From this spot Katara could see the river bed past the bridge to her right and all the down to the small dot that she was certain was the village they had left to her right. _Hmmm...Maybe Zuko will know what this means._ She turned around and began to head back towards the camp when a metal glint caught her eye.

To her right there was nothing but trees and whatever had reflected the light was pinned to one of the trees that was furthest away from her path. _How did a dagger get wedged all the way back there?_ Katara asked herself as she got closer and could make out the shape of the object. _UGH! I'm going to need someone with longer arms. _She couldn't reach the dagger so she moved away and placed two stones in an 'x' on the spot where she'd been standing. She turned and ran back towards their campsite.

She reached it right when Zuko was coming back with a turkey duck. "Perfect! I need you." Was all Katara said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her. She pulled him towards the river bed and stopped.

"Katara what are we doing here?" Zuko managed to get out between the sucking in air and taking the pine needles out of his mouth. She had let go of his arm and looked around the ground.

"Katara is this…?" Zuko asked his eyebrows raised in a question as a smile curled his lips.

"Oh stop that. Yes this is the spot but that's not why we're here. Remember the note, 'think big thoughts but relish small pleasures'? We've been thinking all day about finding your uncle, isn't that a big thought? And last night we both experienced a small pleasure here," Katara coughed to cover up her embarrassment at admitting that she had actually liked it, "so I came back to this spot and looked around. You can see that village we left four days ago to your left and to your right you can see the rest of the dried river bed." She paused as she waited for Zuko to finish looking up and down the river. "When I turned around something caught my eye and I looked for it." She pulled him towards the two rocks she had placed on the ground and continued. "See, back there. It's a dagger. I can't reach it because my arms aren't long enough, can you?" She looked up at him, he was really close. So close that she could smell his sent and it filled her nostrils. She wanted to sigh and melt into him.

_What a cramped space_ Zuko thought when Katara had pulled him towards her between the trees. They were abreast of each other. He looked into her eyes and swore he could look into them forever. His eyes locked onto her mouth _not that I mind the loss of space. _Zuko could feel her breathing shallow and knew she had felt what he felt. He wanted another kiss and what better time or place than right here and right now?

"Can you get it Zuko?" Katara's voice pulled Zuko out of his trance and he looked back into her eyes.

"Uh, yeah let me see…"He moved closer to the tree with the embedded dagger in it and reached out to grab it. His body was pressed up against Kataras and he was slowly going insane by it. His hands were wrapped around the hilt when he felt Katara inhale sharply.

"What? Are you okay?" Zuko asked as he looked back at her. Her face was contorted in an odd way, almost as if she were in pain. He moved back towards her and searched her with his eyes for what had caused her to inhale like that.

"Oh uh, nothing Zuko" Katara said as she tried to get the thought of kissing him out of her head. They were secluded away from everyone else and it gave them the perfect opportunity to kiss. She was still scared though and had a pretty good idea of what that thing was that had stabbed her. He was still standing there, not buying what she was trying to sell. "Really Zuko, I'm fine."

"Uh huh. Well I can't get the dagger out, it's embedded in there pretty deep, I think up to its hilt." Zuko stated as he looked at her again.

"Hmm. Okay, can you hold onto me as I reach for the blade? I can't squeeze between the trunks but I'm sure if you lift me up over them I'd be able to reach the blade." She placed a hand on her chin as she offered this new idea. She was staring at the tree trunks trying to figure out a way to the middle tree without hurting herself.

The tree that the dagger was embedded in was in the middle of a bunch of trees. It was encircled by its own body of protection. Aside from the trees there was also a briar patch that had managed to grow between the trees. Needless to say, getting to that dagger was like getting into the fortress of solitude; near impossible.

"If you think it will work." Zuko said trying to sound nonchalant about it. Secretly however he was thrilled at the thought of being able to touch her. He smiled when she moved in front of him and placed a foot on one of the trunks that wasn't encased in briar. She looked back at him.

"Are you ready?" She asked hoping this would work. Zuko nodded and placed his hands on her hips, lifting her up and holding her there as she reached for the dagger. Her hands were around the hilt in no time.

"Okay, I've got it! You can pull me back now." She said over her shoulder. She had prepared herself to be tugged and yanked. She had not, however, prepared herself to land on Zuko after the first attempt and with the dagger in her hand. She looked at it for a second and was in awe of its design. It was definitely something she had never seen before. She heard a cough and realized that her soft landing was due to the young man she was currently sitting on.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't expect you to be so strong." She sounded like such a wimp. Of course he'd be strong, she wanted to smack herself…_Have you _seen _his arms? _She mentally chastised herself as she got up and offered him her hand. He took it and pulled himself up using her weight to counter his.

"Yeah, no problem…just next time warn me that you might land on me." He said as he brushed the dirt off of his pants and shirt. "So what is it?" He asked her thinking it an obvious question.

"Really Zuko? It's a dagger, what else could it be?" Katara said as she gave him a look that clearly told him that she thought he was stupid for asking.

"Well duh Katara but what I meant by 'what is it' was have you ever seen anything like it before?" Zuko said as he swiped the dagger from Katara's hands and examined it himself.

It was simplistic in design but Zuko could tell that it was crafted by someone who knew how to make deadly weapons. The hilt was made of wood that had been smoothed by oil and constant use. There was a small symbol at the end of the hilt but it was too worn down for Zuko to make out the shape.

"So what is it?" Katara asked excitedly trying to get a better look at the blade. Zuko stood at least a head taller than her and he held the blade close to his face so Katara had to stand on her tiptoes to look at it. She placed her hands on his arms to bring them down to her level.

"Just give me a second Katara goodness! You have no patience do you?" Zuko asked as he looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I have patience." Katara said indignantly. She leaned away from Zuko and crossed her arms. He just looked at her, "I do." She said as she glared at him.

Zuko continued his examination of the blade and saw that the metal was perfectly cut. The shine quality was amazing. This blade was something he had never seen before. There was an inscription on the metal. But Zuko couldn't make it out.

"Hey Katara….there's something written on the blade." Zuko said as he moved towards her and lowered it for her to see.

"Ooh…"Katara said, this was intriguing, they'd found a note and now a blade. Katara was thrilled; it was like a treasure hunt. "I wonder what it says." Katara said out loud. She began to think again about the carving in the wall that she'd found. "Hey Zuko I want to show you something."

She looked up at him and noticed how close his face was to hers. Her eyes dropped to his lips and her heart began to pound. He was right there. _Just kiss me Zuko! KISS ME!_ She screamed inside her head. She wanted him way too badly and they were alone. She looked up into his eyes and noticed that his normally calm golden irises were molten gold.

"KATARA!"

"Your brother seems to have perfect timing Katara." Zuko said as he looked down at her lips. He was starting to hate her brother. Katara's lips were wet from where she had licked them. He knew she wanted him. He smiled down at her, "We should probably go before your brother thinks I stole you or something."

Katara smiled; her eyes wide. Would Zuko have kissed her had her brother not shown up? She pushed the thought out as she focused on walking back towards the path that would lead them to the campsite and Sokka.

"Where have you two been? _I _had to save you guys some lunch. You know how weird that was for me? Aang and Toph almost ate it all!" Sokka complained, "wait…where _have _you been?" He asked as he took in Katara and Zuko's dirty clothing.

"Sokka you are not going to believe this!" Katara said as she grabbed ahold of his arms and jumped up and down. Katara's eyes were wide with excitement and her smile even wider.

"What? What? What?" Sokka asked as he was forced to jump with Katara or lose some of his skin.

"Zuko show him!" Katara said as she stopped jumping and turned to look back at him. She gave Zuko a blinding smile that momentarily stunned him.

"Uh…yeah. Sokka we found this in a tree over here." Zuko briefly explained as he held out the blade for Sokka to look at.

"Whoa." Sokka whispered as he took the blade gingerly from Zuko's hand. "Do you guys know what this is?" Sokka asked excitedly.

Katara and Zuko looked at each other and smiled. "Sokka, it's a dagger. What else could it be?" Zuko asked smiling because he was finally the one that didn't ask the dumb question.

"No Zuko. This is the ceremonial dagger of the Order of the White Lotus." Sokka looked up at Katara and Zuko in awe. "Where did you guys find this?" Sokka felt like he was holding something that would break if he moved even a little.

Zuko felt like so stupid and rubbed the back of his neck. Katara just stared at her brother, her mouth gaping.

"How do you know what that is Sokka?" Katara asked in disbelief. Her brother barely knew about anything. She was amazed that he knew anything at all about this blade.

"Katara, when we were in that last village I went into a weapons store and I saw one of these. Of course it was a fake but still it looked interesting so I went over to the counter and asked the store owner about it. The guy said that it was a replica of the ceremonial dagger from the Order of the White Lotus. He said that one only ever heard the Order in hushed circles but the guy who owned the store said knew they were real. He said that he once knew a man who had a dagger that looked just like the one in the window and that the guy was always quiet. He said that the guy with the dagger was a fire nation deserter and that he had two scars on his face."

Sokka had been so caught up in his story that he didn't notice the shocked looks on both Katara and Zuko's faces. When he finally snapped out of his reverie he looked over at them was his eyes widened at their expressions.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"It's amazing that you retained so much information Sokka." Katara said half-jokingly. She was truly surprised that Sokka had been paying attention.

"Hey Katara, when it comes to weapons I am all ears." Sokka said as he puffed out his chest.

"Sokka, you're always all ears. They're huge." Katara said as she laughed behind her hand and walked back towards their camp. Sokka just watched her walk past with his mouth open.

"My ears aren't huge." Sokka said sullenly as he followed her. Zuko just laughed and walked after them.

Okay so…  
What do you guys think?


	10. North East

Okay this may seem like a dumb question but…  
What does each nation speak? Like fire nation, is it firenese or something?  
Do all of the nations speak the same language? I thought they all had different writing styles?  
So doesn't that mean they all have different languages or something?  
….

"What do you think it means?" Aang asked as they huddled around Sokka who held the blade.

"Well, it could mean any number of things." Sokka began to explain

"No Sokka, I meant why was it in the tree. Someone had to of thrown it in there if it was embedded as far as Katara and Zuko said it was. So…that must mean someone from the white lotus society is missing…right?" Aang thought out loud. Half of his being wanted to question Katara for taking Zuko to a hidden spot away from him but the other part wanted to figure out what had happened.

"Yeah. There is a symbol on the end of the blade that Zuko and I can't make out. Can you guys tell what it is?" Katara asked Aang and Sokka. She was a little excited at finding the dagger and now that she knew what kind of importance it held she was even more excited.

"…Nope. Sorry Katara, I can't tell what it is." Sokka said first then he held the dagger up to Aang to give Aang a chance to look at it.

"Hmmm…it looks almost like one of the four nation symbols. I just can't tell which one it is. It's too worn down…" Aang said as he fingered the engraving on the hilt of the dagger.

They all sat there thinking about what the symbol could be when Toph walked up to them.

"Hey guys, what happened? You just left me all alone!" When no one replied to her outburst Toph thought to speak louder "HELLO! BLIND PERSON HERE! CAN_NOT_ LEAVE ALONE BECAUSE SHE CAN'T SEE…ring a bell to anyone?" Toph yelled at them all. When they were still quiet she wondered what was up. She could feel their amazement at something but she had no idea what.

She walked towards them and pushed the lightest one to the side who she figured was Aang.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes, why is everyone so quiet and ignoring me?" She asked the moved Aang. She looked around with unseeing eyes to the other people huddled in a circle.

"Toph, we found this dagger and there is a symbol that has been rubbed down so much so that we can't tell what it is." Katara explain as she finally surfaced from her thoughts. She looked up at Toph and offered an apologetic smile knowing Toph couldn't see it but would feel her sympathy through the ground.

"Let me see it." Toph said as she held her hand out. Everyone just looked at her.

"Uh, Toph…you _can't _see it. You're blind. Remember?" Sokka said with an eyebrow raised. Everyone else was thinking the same thing.

"Oh my goodness. You guys are so slow. Okay let me explain something to you. My touch is hypersensitive, especially with my feet. So whenever I touch something I can usually see all of the grooves in it and all of the little textures and things that most people generally _can't _see. So if you drop it on the ground, I'll be able to feel the vibrations and probably be able to see the shape on the end of that knife better than you can, Sokka." Toph explained, breathing heavily when she finished. She crossed her arms and waited for a reply.

"Uhm first off, it's not a knife, and it's a ceremonial DAGGER. Second. Okay fine. We'll drop the ceremonial DAGGER on the ground so you can feel the grooves." Sokka said indignantly. He looked at Aang who held the dagger and nodded his head.

Aang dropped the dagger and watched it fall. Sokka had to resist the urge to jump out and catch it with his hand. Zuko and Katara just sat back and watched, both slightly amused at Sokka and Toph's banter.

They all waited excitedly, wanted to hear if Toph could actually feel the shape on the blade. Toph's head tilted to the side like a dog listening to a strange noise for the first time. Katara could only guess that she was trying to identify the shape. When Toph smiled Katara smiled, excited to hear what Toph had to say.

"You know Sokka, you should try being blind for a day, it might do you some good." Toph said with a laugh. Sokka just looked at her with his mouth open.

"That's all you have to say after all of that?" Sokka said shrilly. He wanted to wring her thin little neck. "You couldn't make out the shape could you? I knew it! You should try not being so smug for a day Toph; it might do you some good."

Toph's smile didn't falter "Sokka I never said I didn't make out the shape, I just said you should try being blind." Her smile brightened when she felt Sokka sag through the ground.

"So what's the shape Toph?" Katara asked excited as she jumped up from where she'd been sitting while waiting for Toph to feel it.

"Well it's weird. You would think it would be a lotus because it's from a guy who belongs to the White Lotus Society Club thing. But no, it's the symbol for the fire nation." Toph said as she looked right at Zuko.

Zuko was slightly stunned. Everyone's eyes moved to looked at Zuko. He began to think, and then he smiled.

"Toph did you feel any other inscription on the kni-dagger?" Zuko corrected himself, looking at Sokka whose face darkened slightly.

"Hm…well actually yeah. There were two characters that looked real fire nation like. I couldn't read them but I can try to draw them in the sand for you." Toph said as she knelt to the ground and began to draw in the ground. When she was finished she moved away to let Zuko see it.

Zuko's face lit up when he saw the characters. "Toph you're amazing!" Zuko turned to her and lifted her off the ground in a hug. She squealed and protested at first but gave up when it was apparent that Zuko would do as he pleased.

"That's uncle's name!" He was so happy. They'd finally found something hard that told them they were on the right path to finding his uncle. He looked at Katara and he smiled, he wanted to hug her and swing her around. He was so happy.

"So we're on the right path!" Katara said excitedly as she jumped towards Zuko. She grabbed his hands and began jumping up and down.

"Zuko we've almost found him!" She was just as happy as Zuko was. She turned to look at Sokka and Aang and noticed they weren't jumping for joy.

"Come on guys! That's Iroh's dagger. That means that he threw it into that tree that we found it in, which means that he was here!" Katara said excitedly as she walked over to Aang and hugged him and looked at Sokka. "Guys, we're going to find him." She hugged Sokka and looked at Zuko who was still beaming.

"That means Katara that Iroh is in the White Lotus Society Club, as Toph puts it." Sokka said as he moved a hand to his chin to rest it on.

"So where do we go from here?" Katara asked as she began to think again. She sat back down and was dumbfounded.

"That's actually a really good question." Aang said as he walked over to Katara to sit next to her. He hated how close she had become with Zuko even though he had no reason for it other than jealousy. _I'm a monk, I shouldn't be jealous. _He looked at Zuko and felt that evil green monster raise its head within him. _But I am jealous. _He turned back to Katara.

"Why don't we start with where the dagger was found?" Aang offered. He placed a hand on Katara's shoulder as he looked at her face.

"I was just thinking that Aang," Zuko said, "what if the dagger was pointing in the direction that Uncle traveled in?" Zuko said as he paced back and forth. He looked up at Sokka and blinked. This was the guy who usually came up with all of their plans and he was quiet.

"What do you think Sokka?" Zuko asked. He stood looking at Sokka waiting for a response. Sokka concentrated on the ground, thinking.

"You know, that could actually be possible. Let's go check it out." Sokka said as he stood up. "Show the way fire bender." He said as he extended an arm out in front of him. Zuko walked past Sokka towards the path he and Katara had taken to get to the tree. He smiled a small smile at the memory the path gave him of the night before and hid it quickly when he turned to Sokka when they got to the point in the path.

"There. Katara said she saw it in that tree, the one with the dark line it the middle of it. It is the big tree that is surrounded by all of the other trees and the briar patch." Sokka walked ahead of Zuko and looked at the tree. He then turned around and looked in the direction the hilt of the dagger had been pointing in.

"Do you know what is in that direction Zuko?" Sokka asked as he walked back towards the bigger path that he and Zuko had taken to get to this point.

"Uhm, no actually. I don't imagine there is a lot, could just be another abandoned town or a river or something. I guess that is the direction in which we will be traveling in huh?" Zuko said as he scratched the back of his head. When he raised his arm he could smell the stench of not having bathed in four days. _OH MY_ Zuko thought as his eyes widened. "Hopefully there is a river over in that direction." Zuko said out loud as he walked passed Sokka with his arms glued to his side.

Sokka smelled himself and agreed with Zuko. When they made it back to the camp they told the others about the plan to travel North East.

"Uhm, Isn't that the direction that we came from?" Katara asked slightly confused.

"No, we came from the North West. Pretty much we'll just be following the dirt path because we'll have to cross the river bed again." Zuko explained. "We should probably split up, that way we can cover more ground. Katara and I can continue on foot and you three can take the bison and fly ahead, tell us if you see anything." Zuko offered, thinking it would be best if the avatar stayed with his bison.

"Why would we need to fly ahead?" Aang asked, he didn't like the idea of leaving Katara alone with Zuko.

"Just in case there are any fire nation soldiers in the area…maybe we should go ahead and you guys wait until nightfall to follow. That way if there are fire nation soldiers they won't try to hunt you down." Zuko offered instead, he knew that if there were fire nation soldiers in the vicinity that they would probably be working for Azula and be looking for the avatar.

"Yeah I agree Zuko," Sokka said suddenly, when Aang looked at him with wide eyes he continued, "Aang, if there are fire nation soldiers ahead they are more likely to follow you and Appa before they'd follow Zuko and Katara. You'd be much safer waiting here until night fall to fly over to where ever there is. Zuko will have lit a fire and that will be our way of finding them." Sokka leaned in closer to Aang, "Aang nothing is going to happen to Katara." Sokka knew why the air bender didn't want the other two to go off on their own. He needed to convince Aang or they would have to think of a different plan.

Aang sat quiet for a moment and thought it out. He could wait until night fall and find Katara again; there wouldn't be enough time for Zuko to do anything to her before he got there. He figured she'd be okay so he looked up at Sokka.

"Okay, sounds like a good plan." Aang looked at Katara with longing. He wanted her to be his. He didn't lust after her but he loved her with all of his heart. He knew that she was the one for him and he wanted her to know it too. "So when will you be leaving?" Aang asked quietly. He didn't want to think about it but he couldn't stop himself.

"Actually right now sounds like a good idea, I don't know how far Uncle traveled so we should get started now, maybe we'll find another clue along the way." Zuko said as he stood up and walked over to his pack. He began folding his blanket and placing it in the bag. He looked back at Katara and waited, for what, he didn't know.

"Okay, but let me lead this time okay Zuko? We don't need to get lost again." Katara said as she picked up her blanket and walked over to Zuko to hand it to him. She smiled at him and watched him take her blanket, fold it, and place it neatly on top of his. For some reason the act made her blush slightly. She hid it quickly before Zuko saw it and turned to her friends.

"Okay so we'll be seeing you after sundown." Katara said with a smile as she hugged her brother, "Please be there after sundown, I hadn't realized how much I had missed you before, I don't know if I can go through that again." She squeezed him tightly before letting go. She turned to Aang and looked at his heartbroken face.

"Cheer up buttercup. I'll see you again tonight." She smiled as she hugged him, "Don't worry, I'll be fine." She let go and looked around for Toph. She found the young earth bender by the stone wall that enclosed the abandoned town.

"Hey Toph," Katara said as she walked up to her friend, "Take care of yourself okay? And if these boys give you a hard time just throw a rock at them." She giggled slightly at the memory of doing the same thing to Zuko. She hugged Toph who wasn't expecting it and let go before the girl could react.

She walked back towards Zuko who was ready to go and waiting for Katara at the campsite near the path that led to the river bed.

"I'll see you guys tonight!" Katara said cheerfully to her friends as she walked up to Zuko and looked at him. She smiled warmly and walked in front of him, leading their way towards the dried river bed.

Okay, so!  
What do you think?  
Aha you know what the funny part is,  
I actually drew a map! :D ahah funnny! :)


	11. Air Bubble

Okay! Chapter Eleven! (:  
So I'm noticing a pattern. I am getting all of my ideas late late at night.  
Which means I'm super tired when I write these.  
So there are probably several mistakes.  
If something doesn't make sense, please tell me! And I will fix it for you!  
Otherwise~  
enjoy (:

She led her friend Zuko across the dried river bed and up the other side of the embankment. When they had reached the dirt path they covered themselves up to disguise themselves from any fire nation soldiers should they pass them.

They had small conversations but for the most part they both stayed quiet. Katara looked around enjoying the scenery and the way the birds chirped and the sun danced upon the leaves. She smiled and thought how wonderful it was that even through war nature was still so beautiful. She turned to Zuko to see what her companion was doing and noticed that his eyes were focused straight ahead and his stoic mask was in place.

She wondered if the young prince ever allowed himself a moment to enjoy what was around him. She wanted to grab his hand and hold it with her own; to feel his warmth and to feel his body touch hers. She blushed. She knew where her train of thought was leading.

"Katara" Zuko spoke suddenly as his arm shot out around her and pulled her into the brush that was along the dirt road. "Shhh" He said placing a finger in front of her mouth. He looked back towards the road and saw several fire nation soldiers walk by. He looked back at Katara whose eyes were wide with fear. He had never seen her scared before. He was slightly shocked.

Zuko pulled her closer to him and she didn't object. He hid them both from view by hiding behind the biggest tree that they happened to be by. His back was against the tree and Katara was against him, facing him. They both breathed short shallow breaths, both afraid of being discovered and both heady with desire.

They sat there staring at each other. Zuko held her close to him to keep her from falling but also because he wanted her close to him. He wanted to feel her body against his in a way that he hadn't. Her arms were around his neck; she had no memory of putting them there but she believed she had put them there to steady herself. Their faces were merely inches apart, their breathing harmonious.

Zuko broke the spell by looking behind him. Something had told him to check to make sure the coast was clear. When he looked he saw dust settling but no boots. He smiled with relief and turned back to Katara.

Her arms were no longer around his neck but against his chest pushing away from him. She stood up and looked beyond their hiding spot. Her legs were slightly wobbly from all of the desire coursing through her but she managed to take a step and then another.

"Who do you think that was?" Katara asked. She didn't need to turn around to see if Zuko was behind her, she could feel his heat radiating all around her.

"It was probably a small scouting party for a general or colonel. We should be fine from here though because they send a messenger hawk from their new location and wait for whomever they scouted ahead for. So that means we've got maybe…."The wheels in Zuko's brain started to work again as he thought about this new scenario, "three hours before we see any more fire nation soldiers." Zuko looked down the path in the direction the soldiers had come from. That was the direction they were headed and he hoped that they wouldn't run into anyone they were trying to avoid.

"We should get moving then huh?" Katara said as she began to walk quickly down the path. Zuko's arm snaked out to capture hers and halted her.

"Katara, we're heading north_east_ which means we won't be on the path for very much longer. We'll actually be cutting through the trees to get to where we need to be going." He looked down at her and saw that her mouth had opened slightly and her eyes had closed just a tad.

"Katara…"He said huskily as he leaned down towards her. She was right there, only a couple more inches and his lips would be on hers.

She pulled away. "Zuko," her voice slightly shaky, "we should get moving, are you going to lead the way?" She asked as she brought a hand up to cover her blush, she could feel it consuming her neck and then taking over her face.

"Uh, yeah", he said as he straightened and looked up at the sky and then back the way they had come trying to make sure they were going in the right direction. "This way" he said as he walked past Katara to across the path and through the trees.

She sighed as she followed. She could only hope that they would get to their destination soon and nightfall would follow swiftly. She did not know how much longer she'd be able to keep her distance from this man.

They had made it to a river that was relatively small compared to the dried river bed they had left earlier. This river was full of fish and it was crystal clear. _Sokka is gonna love trying to catch some fish in her_e Katara thought with a smile. He never did catch any fish.

"Katara I'm going to bathe, please don't freeze the water this time." Zuko said as he walked towards the water and looked at her.

"Of course Zuko, don't worry, I'm not trying to make you my servant now or anything like that. Besides, that was your idea…remember?" Katara said as she walked towards the tree line with a laugh. She was looking for firewood when she heard a splash and turned to look.

His clothes were on the bank in a rumpled mess and when he resurfaced he shook the water from his hair much the way a wet dog would shake the water off of its coat. She was enthralled. The water dripped down his chin and onto his neck where it pooled by his clavicles and then spilled away down his chest. She wished she could see more but blushed at the thought of doing so.

She turned around so that he wouldn't look up and catch her staring and she continued hunting for firewood. She had finally found enough to start a small fire when she heard someone come up behind her.

"Hey I'll carry those. Do you want to wash up? You'll feel better. I know I do." Zuko said as he took the firewood from Katara and walked towards the middle of the little clearing they had found. He placed the wood on the ground and turned back to Katara. She was standing there with her mouth open just looking at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Do I stink or something?" Katara asked as she stormed off towards the water. She began talking to herself under her breath.

"Huh?" Zuko said as he started to walk towards her then stopped when she began to disrobe.

"Zuko, don't look I'm bathing." She said shortly as she dropped her clothes and without looking back to see if Zuko was staring or not she disrobed leaving on her bindings because Zuko was present and walked into the water. Her nerves strung at their tightest by his little comment.

"I didn't mean to insult you Katara." Zuko explain as he sat at the edge of the water watching her.

"Hey! I said no looking." Katara said as she sent water his way. He moved out of the way before his clothes were soaked.

"Katara don't make me come in there." Zuko said with a serious look on his face. He was getting tired of her being angry with him for no reason. She'd done the same thing last night after they'd kissed. She had been short with him and irrational. He wanted it to stop.

"Oh please Zuko. You can't do anything to me in here and besides you wouldn't come in here anyways." She said, dismissing him as she turned around to rub the cool water over her body. Her eyes widened when she heard a splash, _He didn't…_she slowly turned to see another clump of clothing on the bank next to hers. _He did._ She looked around for him. She didn't want him to get close to her.

"Why wouldn't I come in here?" His voice carried from behind her. The water was noticeably warmer that was coming from behind her.

"Because," she said as she slowly turned towards him, "this is _my _element. You would be a prisoner in my water if you came in here." She lifted her arms as she talked.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Zuko said with a smile as he moved closer to her.

"And why is that?" Katara asked now worried that he knew something she didn't. She dropped her arms slightly and tilted her head up towards his to see what he was going to do.

"Because Katara, if you start pushing water around it might draw the attention of whoever that patrol had been for that passed us earlier." He spoke as if he were imparting a deep secret and it made Katara move in closer and completely lower her arms.

Then he splashed her.

"WHAT? Oh my GOSH Zuko!" She said as she splashed him back. He went under the water and swam behind her. When he resurfaced he dunked her from behind and got a face full of water. She turned around and dunked him back, surprising him with her strength. He grabbed her hips and lifted her out of the water and threw her. She splashed only a couple of feet away. She came back up and looked at Zuko. He smiled and splashed her again. She smiled back and water bended the water around him to lift him up and throw him.

He had not expected that. He went flying and landed some ten feet away from Katara. She was dying of laughter when he resurfaced. Her hair had come out of its braid when she had been thrown and was now falling loosely around her face. He saw that the laughter that had entered her eyes had been real and looked like it meant to stay. He walked back towards her holding his hand out.

"Truce?" He asked because he did not want to get thrown again. He smiled when she took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Truce…."She said as she let go of his hand and went under the water. He was slightly worried that she'd pull him under with her but decided it would be best if he just got out of the water.

He turned to leave when he felt a hand on his ankle and he grinned. He turned around to see Katara's form under the water before he was pulled under. She moved over him to propel herself off of him when he caught her arm and pulled her down towards him. She water bent an air bubble around them and looked at him weirdly.

"Yes?" She asked as she fell onto his chest now that the water was no longer suspending her above him.

"I'm sorry if I've been a jerk since we've been traveling. I didn't mean to insult you earlier. And no, you don't stink." Zuko said as he let go of her arm. He looked around them and was in awe.

She was shocked. Her mouth was open like the fish that surrounded them. She closed it and looked down at Zuko.

"You're something else you know that?" She said as she moved to get off of him.

"Wait. Have you seen this?" Zuko said, secretly not wanting to lose the body contact. When she moved to lay down next to him he moved her back on top of him and tried to think of something to cover up what he really wanted. "You can only see it from right here. It's simply amazing." He said hoping she believed him.

She grudgingly lay back down on his chest and allowed him to point out to her what he found so fascinating.

"I have never seen anything like this. You are truly an amazing bender Katara." Zuko said as he watched the fish swim around their air bubble and further upstream. He watched at the sun danced along the river bed, casting little irregular octagons along the floor. He felt like a little child watching all of this. He watched as the small plants on the river bed swayed back and forth in the current, they seemed to dance with the fish as the fish swam by.

Katara watched him. His face denoted a child like joy that she had never seen on his face before. She looked to see what he was looking at and turned to look at him again. She then became fully aware of their body contact. She was simply great full that Zuko had kept his bottoms on when he had jumped in after her. She wanted to blush because she was only in her undergarments and on top of this man that was simply gorgeous. She had to get away from him before she did something she might regret later.

"We should probably be getting back to shore Zuko, the air in here will run out soon and we need to make a fire." She said as she moved to get off of him again. He frowned slightly at the loss of contact from her body and took a deep breath before Katara released the air bubble and they were both covered by the water once again.

They had made it back to the shore and both had gotten dressed. Kataras mood had gone from angry to happy to confused.

"Okay I'll make the fire and go get some food." Zuko offered as he sent a small flame towards the wood Katara had collected earlier and then walked towards the tree line. "Will you be okay here by yourself?" He asked turning around to look at her.

She looked at him, processing what he had said and nodded. "I'll be fine." She said as she walked towards the fire. When Zuko had returned with the food Katara had prepared it and cooked it. Zuko had caught enough for them and the rest of the group when they showed up later that night.

"I'm gonna take a nap." Zuko said suddenly as he lay down and crossed his arms behind his head. "Wake me when they get here." So he had fallen asleep.

_He didn't know where he was but he didn't really care. All he cared about was the young woman walking towards him. She had a seductive look in her eyes and he knew what she wanted. He could feel his desire for her growing. He had known she wanted him but he didn't think she'd act on it so soon. _

_Zuko sat there watching Katara walk up to him. He began to lose it when she circled around him with her hand on his bare chest leaving goose bumps in its wake. She stood behind him and leaned in, her mouth by his ear. _

"_Zuko," she whispered, her cold breath dancing lightly over his bare skin. "You're so tense….you should relax." Katara said as she circled in front of him and placed her hands on his chest as she sat on his lap. She faced him and leaned in close. She looked into his eyes and smiled. _

"_Zuko, will you kiss me?" She asked timidly, "Or do I have to beg?" her voice a little rough from her desire for Zuko. She bit her lip to hold back a smile and Zuko's control slipped and spilled away._

"_Katara…" Zuko growled before he captured her lips with his. He had no idea he had wanted her this much. His hands roamed her body as he laid her down on the ground. He moved his lips from her mouth down to her ear and then her throat. Oh how he wanted her. His hands went from her breasts to her waist._

"_Zuko…" He heard Katara breath. Oh Spirits he thought he was going to lose it if he heard her say his name like that again. His hands tugged at her bindings, he had no idea when they'd both shed their clothes or where they were for that matter but he didn't care. _

"_Zuko…" She was in his ear now as she ran her hands through his hair and tried to bring his face back up to hers. He allowed her to and then he kissed her lips. He didn't want to hear what she had to say. He wanted her and she wanted him. That's how he saw it and that's how he wanted to finish it. He finally removed her bindings from around her waist. When he felt a light shove on his shoulder, he turned to see who could possibly be bothering him. _

"Zuko, wake up." His eyes opened and he saw Katara standing over him, nudging his shoulder. He blushed crimson when he felt himself throbbing. His hands shot out to cover himself up as he nudged Katara away with his shoulder.

"Are you all right? You were moaning in your sleep." Katara said. She had no idea what had happened. He was moaning in his sleep, she was pretty sure it was her name he'd been moaning too. She had decided to wake him up when he started groaning.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yeah I'm fine. What time is it anyway?" Zuko asked as he tried to nonchalantly rub his boner away. OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS! He wanted to scream out loud. He had just had the hottest dream about the water bender only to be awakened from that dream by said water bender. He was surely going to die from lack of release before he found his uncle.

"About an hour after sun down…Zuko I'm worried." Katara said as she sat down on the other side of the fire. She looked at him and tried not to show just how worried she was.

It had been seven hours since they had left the abandoned town. Katara had bid her friends farewell for the day and had walked forward believing she would see them again that night.

"Zuko, why aren't they here?" Katara moved closer to him. It had become decidedly cooler that night and she was beginning to shiver. Zuko's body temperature was higher than hers and she needed heat right now. When she sat next to Zuko she could feel his heat emanating towards her and she smiled with pleasure.

"Could be because Sokka needed to use the bathroom, Katara don't worry about it, they will get here." Zuko said as he rubbed her shoulders and stood up. He searched through their pack and withdrew a blanket. He handed it to her and she accepted it happily.

Just then they heard a loud noise come from over the treetops and they heard a girl laughing.

"That must be them!" Katara said as she shot up to try to get a better look. She stood there for a second before a giant shadow formed over the treetops. She smiled.

"It's them Zuko!" She said and she turned to him. He looked at her and smiled tightly. He had been enjoying their trip alone together. He had gotten close to her earlier and he had enjoyed the contact.

"See, I told you they'd be here." Zuko said as he watched the giant shadow take shape to form the flying bison that was the young avatars animal guide.

What do you think?

**AHA! It has come to my attention by Starcatrose that it was unclear whether or not Zuko and Katara were naked while playing around in the water. I have fixed it, I hope, so that you better understand what is going on. Sorry for the confusion! **


	12. Fire

Sorry for the wait guys. This past week has been horrible for me.  
Fight with the boyfriend, a bunch of tests for classes and Busch Gardens.  
I hope you like this chapter. It's kind of shorter than the rest of them  
but I wanted to post something up here for you guys. :)  
~enjoy

They watched in horror as flames erupted from the trees, flying towards the bison and its passengers. Katara could hear the Appa's' yell of pain and it tore at her heart. When she saw the animal go down, she let out a small shriek as she ran towards the tree line. She had her hands up and her arms covered in water, ready to thrash any fire nation soldiers who came her way.

Zuko grabbed her arm.

"Zuko! What are you doing?" Katara screamed as she was jerked back towards him. She was angry and concerned. Her eyes were wide with fear and loss at the thought that her friends and brother could be hurt.

"Katara, if we run head first into the trees we have no idea what awaits us. There could be a whole battalion of fire nation soldiers waiting for us…"Zuko said as he looked into her eyes. He could see that she was trying to hold back tears and he could also see that she was determined to try to rescue her brother and friends.

"Zuko," she said as she jerked her arm free of his grip, "I am going to protect them to the best of my abilities. If that means that I get captured by the fire nation then fine. But I will not sit here and wait to see if they make it out from underneath the foot of the bloody fire nation." She was seething now. Her hurt and anger all channeled at the fire nation. She stared coldly at Zuko. Her brows furrowed and her eyes watery. Her lips were set in a firm line and Zuko could tell he would have to go with her or risk being abandoned here.

"Okay. We can try to circle around towards Appa from behind. That way if there are any fire nation soldiers they won't see us because they'll be coming towards the animal from the front." Zuko said as he tried to remember the trajectory of the fire. "Now, if there are soldiers surrounding the group then we'll have to come up with a different plan." He looked back at her and when she nodded he lead her towards the area they both assumed that the animal fell.

_Oh poor Appa, they must of burnt his feet in their attacks. How did they even see him at night?_ Katara thought to herself as she followed Zuko. A thousand different feelings and thoughts passed through her in a matter of seconds but the one feeling that remained was anger. She was going to see to it that these fire nation soldiers never attacked any of her family again.

They were nearing the clearing where Appa had fallen and Katara could hear the animal's cries. She was surprised that Aang hadn't been able to protect Appa from the fall because when he had run away all those years ago he had protected both himself and his bison when they had gone under the water. Katara's eyes widened as it hit her. _Something must have happened to Aang. _

Her heart began to beat faster and this new thought processed through her body. Her senses became even more sensitive and she began to feel and hear every little thing. She could hear Sokka's moan as if he were grabbing his head and she could feel Toph's body lying on the ground, _she must be unconscious_. She searched with her mind for Aang but couldn't feel him anywhere.

Her hand reached out for Zuko and grabbed onto his shirt. He stopped and lowered himself as he turned around towards her. He mouthed 'what' when he faced her. She just looked at him and wanted to cry.

"Aang isn't here Zuko. I can't feel him." Katara whispered as a tear slipped from her control and splashed onto the ground between her feet. Zuko reached out for her and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear.

"Katara, we'll have to see with our eyes. Nothing is certain." Zuko explained as he let go of her and wiped her tears away. He smiled gently and turned around hunched over and continued walking around the animal. Katara had to regain her composure and assure herself that Aang was all right. She had to see for herself that Aang wasn't there.

Just as the two were about to leave the shadows, three people emerged from across the clearing. Katara couldn't tell who it was but she figured it was three fire nation soldiers. She heard Zuko breathe in sharply and looked at him with a questioning glance.

"Those are Azula's guards. She is either here or she sent them out for her." Zuko whispered to Katara. Katara's eyes widened. Azula had had Zuko's uncle, Iroh. Now she had sent her 'troops' searching for the avatar. They had shot him out of the sky.

"What do we do?" Katara whispered back. She had gotten as close as possible to him before she had spoken so Zuko had jumped slightly at her warm breath tickling his ear. He turned to look at her.

"We can go in me ablaze with fire and you all watered out," he grinned slightly at that, "Or we can wait to see what your friends do and how the guards react to them. You said that Aang wasn't with them?" He waited for her nod then continued "So if Aang isn't with them then maybe they'll leave. But we should just be ready for anything." Zuko fixed his position to so he was in a fighting stance, somewhat hunched over.

They both sat and waited for the guards to react. However the guards were not the first ones to react.

"Where is Aang? I don't feel him Sokka! And we've got company." They could hear Toph say from the other side of the bison. Katara had been right, Aang wasn't with them. Her heart began to beat faster as she thought of the possibility that he had fallen out of Appa's saddle. _But Aang wouldn't have just fallen off of Appa. He is an air bender…that makes no sense….So where is he?_

"The Avatar isn't among them." One of the guards said ignoring Toph and Sokka.

"Then where is he? Azula will not be happy with us returning without the Avatar. We have to bring her something." The second guard said. His head turned to survey the surrounding area.

"Then we should bring her the bison and the two that were in his saddle." The third guard suggested. He moved towards Toph and Sokka, raising his arms with his fists clenched. "What do you two think?" He said as he looked back at his comrades.

"You're right. She won't be satisfied either way though." The first guard spoke again. The three fanned out around Toph and Sokka with their hands out in front of them. "Now, you either come with us quietly or we force you to come. Which one will it be?" The guard in the middle said as he walked forward and stood before Toph who was still on the ground.

"Now see, your offer is quite compelling but I really must decline." Toph said as she looked up at the guard with her unseeing eyes. "Now you either back away or be forced to endure some pain. Which one will it be?" She said as she placed her hands, palms down, on the ground. When the guard laughed she dug her hands into the ground and lifted up the ground around her, sending the guard that had been in front of her across the little clearing into a tree.

The two other guards watched with mouths wide open as the young girl stood up and took a fighting stance.

"Now," Toph paused for effect, "You two either sit down and shut up or go flying into a tree as well. Which one will it be?" She began to raise her hands when she heard no reply but the silence was quickly broken with swords thrown to the ground in a clang and two guards plopping down after them.

"Good work Toph." Sokka said as he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He turned around and looked at Appa. "Poor thing. Toph do you know what's wrong with him?" Sokka asked as he walked over to the currently grounded bison.

"Sokka his heart beat is really quick, does he have any burns?" Toph said as she moved towards the front of the bison, near the tree that concealed Zuko and Katara. "You two can come out now; the big bad guards are all taken care of." Toph turned with her arms crossed as she faced their shadowy figures.

"Toph, you knew we were here the whole time?" Katara asked as she moved out from behind the trees. Zuko followed her, stretching his legs in the process.

"Well duh princess, your heartbeat was all over the place. You should really try to control it." Toph said to Katara while looking at Zuko. Katara blushed because she knew that Toph had figured out that something had transpired between her and Zuko.

"Well Toph. Appa was shot out of the sky, of course I would be freaking out." Katara said as she walked towards the bison. "How's Appa?" She asked already guessing that the poor animal wouldn't be able to fly for a while.

"It looks like he took a pretty big hit to his tail and left hind leg. Can you work on them Katara to see if there is anything you can do?" Sokka said as he emerged from behind the animal.

"Sokka you're okay." Katara sighed as she ran to give him a hug. "Where is Aang?" Her eyes searched his for the answer she felt he knew.

"Katara, I have no idea. He was there one second and then there was a fire blast and the next he was gone. He couldn't have fallen off of Appa." Sokka said as he scratched his head.

While everyone talked, Zuko tied up the soldiers and gagged them. He pulled the unconscious guard out of the tree and put him with the others. He looked at each of them closely and saw how their eyes widened once they realized who he was.

"Prince Zu-" One guard began to say as Zuko was gagging him. Zuko just looked at the guard and tied the gag tighter.

"What are you going to do with them Toph?" Zuko asked as he walked back over to Toph.

"Aww thanks for tying them up for me Sparky. Eh..I'll probably just leave them here and someone will come looking for them." Toph said as she placed a hand on her chin as if she were thinking about it.

"Toph, they recognized me. We either take them with us or kill them. They work for Azula and will tell her that they saw me. Then we'll definitely have someone after us." Zuko stated as he ground his teeth. He should have had Sokka tie up the guards.

"Hmm now that does pose a problem. Hey, didn't you say that Azula had your uncle?" Toph asked.

"Uh yeah. She did, then he escaped." Zuko said slightly confused at the change of topic, and then it dawned on him. "Ohhhhhhhh." He said with a grin as he walked back over to the guards. He went right to the one that had recognized him and tried to speak. He pulled the guards gag out.

"Don't talk or you will die." Zuko said as he crossed his arms. "You may only speak if I ask you a question." He waited for the guard to acknowledge this and continued, "Now, where is my uncle?"

dun dun dunnnn  
:) so what did you think?


	13. Moonlight

Hey guys! Sorry about the extended period of time between the updates.  
Had kind of a writers block. So...that sucked.  
Hope you guys like this chapter. If you catch anything wrong or whatever, let me know! :D

While Zuko questioned the guards, Katara tended to Appa. His wounds weren't too severe but he wouldn't be moving anywhere any time soon. She sighed as she tried to figure out what could possibly have happened to Aang. Katara became so frustrated she started talking to herself

"How is it possible that an air bender can fall off of his flying bison? Isn't he supposed to control the freaking air or something?" Katara's voice had escalated with every word to the point that she was screaming at her hands.

"Katara, calm down." Sokka said as he moved towards his sister. He had never seen her like this. Sure she was over protective of Aang but she never actually spoke her thoughts out loud. He had been slightly worried about her traveling alone with Zuko but he had grown to trust the fire bender. The man had gone out and brought Sokka back some turkey chickens.

"Sokka, what happened up there?" Katara cut in on Sokka's thoughts as she grabbed his arm. Sokka sighed as he recalled what had happened.

"Well…we were getting ready to leave that abandoned town. Aang and I were cleaning up camp when Toph told us to put out the fire. So we did and we went towards her and asked her what was up. She said that she felt a bunch of people were coming our way. So we lay low and that was when Aang said for us to take Appa and go ahead, he said he was going to lead them away from us. Then he left and went off towards the soldiers on his little air scooter. Katara I tried to stop him but he couldn't be stopped. He just left. It's like…"Sokka said widening his eyes as if realizing something for the first time.

"It's like what Sokka?" Katara asked as her grip on his arm tightened.

"Ow, Katara you are hurting me." Sokka whined as he ripped his arm from her grip. "Katara, don't worry. Okay? He'll be fine. He told us that he'd meet us here about an hour after we landed." Sokka lied trying to get Katara off of him after his realization.

He hadn't realized that it bothered Aang so much for Katara and Zuko to be nice to each other. Sokka had known that Aang cared more for his sister than a normal friend would but he never thought Aang would be jealous, especially of Zuko. Sokka looked at his sister and noticed how she turned back to watch Zuko with the guards. He guessed it was because she wanted to know what he was doing but he was sure it was more than that. He could feel it, something had happened between the two since their journey began and it had changed their relationship.

Sokka didn't like how close his sister had become to Zuko; Sokka still didn't trust him. There was something off about Zuko that was more apparent than usual. It was almost like Zuko was distracted by something and Sokka assumed it was his sister.

"Sokka, do you think Aang will be okay?" Katara asked pulling Sokka from his thoughts and making him refocus on her. He noticed that her eyes had become watery and went to hug her.

"Katara, he's the avatar. He'll be fine." Sokka squeezed her and then let her go, with his voice gruff from emotion he spoke again. "Now we should probably get moving. Appa should be able to fly over to where ever you guys camped down for the night. It's not too far right?" Sokka asked Katara, when she nodded her head he continued, "So you can take Toph to the campsite and Zuko and I will put the soldiers on Appa's back to take them with us because we can't just let them go."

Sokka then turned to Zuko and headed his way.

"…she said so." Sokka had caught the end of what the guard without the gag had told Zuko.

"Zuko….what's going on?" Sokka asked as he stood a couple feet behind Zuko with his arms crossed and puffing out his chest trying to intimidate the guards.

"Azula took Uncle to get to me because she believed that I would ask the Avatar for help. She's been drawing us closer and closer to her camp by leaving us little hints. The dagger in the tree, that was Uncles but Azula put it there after she had him. The note was written by Uncle….Azula couldn't have copied his intelligence but she could have forced him to write it." Zuko was glaring at the guards while he spoke to Sokka. Zuko's hands were clenched and were beginning to steam.

"Wow. Your sister planned this whole thing." Sokka said amazed. She's truly a genius. Sokka was in awe of her ability to manipulate the situation even though it disgusted him.

"Yeah she planned it and I did what she expected. I brought the avatar right to her." Zuko said through clenched teeth. He felt so stupid right now; she had lain a trap and he had fallen for it, quite thoroughly too. He hadn't suspected Azula behind any of it. He had believed his Uncle was this unstoppable force that not even Azula could match. But it seems he'd been proven wrong.

"Prince Zuko, Azula told us to tell you that she'll be waiting for you at her camp." The guard said.

"Why do you keep calling me Prince Zuko?" He yelled at the guard, "I was banished, I no longer hold the title 'PRINCE'" Zuko's face contorted in disgust for the word.

It was quiet for a time. No one spoke and the guards all looked ashamed as if they hadn't known.

"Zuko, what should we do with the guards?" Sokka decided to break the silence that had entered the clearing.

"Tie them to a tree with their hands pointed towards their faces so they won't be able fire bend out of their bindings." Zuko said tiredly as he walked away from them.

Sokka looked at the retreating form of Zuko and back at the guards. He shrugged his soldiers and grinned a little.

"Well, guess you should be gagged so you won't be able to yell for help." Sokka said as he grabbed the gag that lay on the ground and tied it around the guards head.

xxx

"Hey Toph…When did you guys leave that abandoned town?" Katara asked her blind friend as she led the way to the river.

"About an hour ago…why?" Toph asked sensing a storm was brewing inside Katara.

"Sokka told me that Aang said he'd meet us here an hour after you guys left." Katara said sounding like she didn't believe it herself. Her shoulders sagged and she had to focus her attention on finding the river otherwise she would have burst into tears.

She had no idea what had happened. Why was Aang acting so strange? He never separated himself from the group for this long without a good reason and leading a battalion of fire nation soldiers away from Katara and Zuko was not a good reason. It was almost like he was…Katara's eyes opened wider and it felt like the air had been knocked from her lungs.

"Uhm yeah. He said he'd meet us here sometime, I'm not sure about what time but he said he'd be here. Don't worry Katara, he'll be here. He's the avatar; if I could take three fire nation guards on my own, I'm sure Aang can take twenty by himself. He's the avatar." Toph said with a smile as she nudged her friends arm with her own.

"Yeah…yeah…"Katara replied halfheartedly. She pushed a couple of branches out of her way and walked onto their campsite. "We're here." Katara said quietly. She looked up at the sky and hoped to see Aang gliding towards them but didn't. "Toph are you hungry? Zuko got us some dinner earlier and there should still be some left…"Katara said as she walked over to the covered fire.

"Uhm yeah actually, I'm starved!" Toph said enthusiastically, trying to make Katara smile as she walked over to her.

"Good, just save some for Sokka, he should be coming any moment now…" Katara said with a half-smile as she tried to start a fire to warm up the food Zuko had gotten for them. She reached for the leftover food and her eyes followed her arms movement past it towards the river. She felt her skin warm and her heart beat a little faster at the memory of what had happened under the water.

"Katara how's the food coming?" Toph asked as she sat in the dark waiting for the return of Sokka and Zuko. It felt like she was sitting in a dark room and all she could feel was Katara's heartbeat that sped up and slowed down in an instant. She didn't think much of it because she hadn't felt anyone approaching.

"Good Toph. It should be done soon. Wish Zuko was here to start a dang fire. I never realized how hard it was before he came along and the fire would just be there." Katara said as she finally got the fire going. Katara just sat and thought about the different reasons Sokka and Zuko weren't back yet.

"What took you two so long? Get lost?" Toph said as she turned to face the darkened trees that surround their fire.

"Ha ha, funny. Zuko had me tie the guards up to a tree. That took a while because I was the only one doing it." Sokka said complained at Zuko.

"Where's Appa?" Katara asked as she stood up from her spot by the fire and walked towards Sokka and Zuko. Her hand went to Zuko's arm and touched him gently; she looked at him and saw that his face had darkened since she had seen him last. She turned to Sokka with a questioning look but he just shrugged.

"Appa is right behind us. That's what took us so long to get here. We had to clear a path for Appa because he wouldn't fly." Sokka complained as he turned back to look at the now grounded bison.

Zuko shrugged off Katara's hand and walked over to the fire. He had been reminded again of his banishment. Right when he had begun to feel good about himself, just when he had begun to put it all behind him, Azula's guards show up calling him 'prince' Zuko. When Uncle said it, it didn't remind him of his banishment, it reminded him of his purpose in life but when the guard had said it, it just made him feel like a failure. He placed his head in his hands and rubbed his scalp. He had no idea what to do and the worst part about all of this was that the guards had no idea where Uncle was.

"Sokka are you hungry?" Katara asked as she dragged her eyes from Zuko's hunched figure. She looked at Sokka and felt like her soul was exposed, she had lost Aang and she felt like she was losing Zuko. She was so torn at what she was feeling and she didn't understand her feelings it.

"Yeah Katara I'm famished! What is there to eat?" Sokka said with his wide eyes glued to the fire and his mouth foaming a little from the thought of savory fish or delicately cooked turkey chicken.

"It's over by Toph." Katara said limply as she walked over to where Zuko sat. She tried to be inconspicuous about trying to read his mind but failed miserably when she got too close to his face and he turned to look at her.

"Yes Katara, may I help you?" Zuko said coldly as his eyes narrowed. When he saw her mouth open and her eyes widen he wanted to apologize but found instead that his body was standing up and walking back into the forest. He needed to be alone, away from all distractions, away from Katara.

Sokka watched as Zuko walked away and his too nice of a sister was crushed. He decided to stay out of it and sighed.

"So Toph, anything new?"

xxx

He paced between to large trees. The trees were stoic and strong, standing their ground against the wind. The wind gently buffeted the leaves and caused many of them to flutter down to the ground by Zuko's feet. Little animals could be heard chattering away through the trees and Zuko could feel the power of the moon just as surely the other animals could.

He needed to recollect his thoughts and figure out what he was going to do about his sister. She had created countless traps that led him straight to her and he had fallen into every single one of them. He had been a trap himself and that's what had irked him the most. She had been smart enough to play him and he had let her. He should have known that Azula had Iroh from the beginning.

But he couldn't have known and he knew that. He couldn't have known that Uncle had been taken by some guy for Azula. He just couldn't but those thoughts didn't appease him of the guilt that was coursing through him.

"AHHHHHH!" Zuko yelled at the sky. His hands went out to his sides and flames erupted from his mouth, his eyes were squeezed tight and no sound could penetrate the loud thumping of his heart. His sent to fire balls into the sky and cried out again. Why did these things always happen to him? He was just starting to feel better about himself and about who he was. He was finally learning about himself and then Azula pulls him back into the cage that he once belonged to.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something. He opened his eyes and watched at the stars twinkled in their black blanket of a sky and noticed how the moon seemed to embrace him with her cold rays of light. He needed a hug.

Zuko's shoulders sagged and his head fell forward to rest against his chest. He fell to the ground and stayed there on his knees as he cradled his head in his hands. He let out his silent tears of anger and hurt and was great full that no one was around to see him like this. _I miss him_.

"Zuko?" He heard his name and tried to quickly wipe away the tears that were creating paths down his face. The disembodied voice sounded a lot like Katara but he prayed that it wasn't her.

"Zuko?" The voice got closer as a figure emerged from behind the tree that protected him from sight and he watched the figure turn into the one person he was hoping it wouldn't be.

"Zuko. Thank goodness I found you. I was worried." Katara said as she walked closer to him. Zuko was silent as he watched her come to stop mere inches from him.

"Are you all right?" Katara asked trying to break the silence. His body had been relaxed due to his earlier tears but now it seemed that his body became taught again, but with a different kind of need.

"Uh…" Zuko said as he turned away from her and faced the beams of moonlight that managed to pick their way through the cover that the leaves provided.

"You aren't are you? You know….you can talk to me if you need to. I know we haven't known each other for very long and that before we started traveling together we were always fighting but it doesn't have to be like that, we are friends and I'm-" Katara was cut off from her talk by a pair of lips pressing against hers.

Her eyes went wide with shock. She looked at Zuko and saw the pain that he tried to hide from everyone. She wanted to hold him and take away that pain. She was about to wrap her arms around him when he pulled away and turned from her once more.

"Zuko…" Katara said as she reached for his shoulder. She hesitated.

"Katara-"Zuko's voice was dry and husky. His head turned back towards hers and their eyes locked. She could feel him probing her being, her essence and it scared her but only for a second. She looked into his eyes and saw his hurt and anger.

She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly, not questioning anything that had happened. She felt him freeze, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, then she felt his arms wrap around her and hold her just as tightly.

They stood like that for a while. Both unaware of how much time had passed and both unaware of how entwined their fates had just become.

So...comments?


	14. Cave of Lovers

HEY GUYSSS! :D Long time no write eh?:)  
My sincere apologies! I'd like to thank **DramaQueen4Eva** for reading my story  
and for liking it so much that you had to alert to it :) If it hadn't been for you  
I probably would have gone on thinking about this story but not really writing anything for it.  
So thank you. :) I hope you guys like this chapter!

**BE WARNED**! There is some fluff...very intense fluff but no lemons :)

It had been three days since Zuko had kissed her without being rejected and he couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew that it had been during a moment of raw emotion but that she didn't reject him made it seem like she accepted him that much more and he reveled in the sensation it gave it. He had finally begun to feel again since the guards' revelation of Azula's plot.

Since the guards had shown up the group had halted their search for Zuko's uncle and had started their search for Aang. For some reason the young air bender had not made it to camp like he said he would. That was when Zuko had started to notice Katara acting strangely. She had stopped talking to him like she used to, no frequent check-ups like there had been the day after his emotional breakdown, no more secret smiles that were only meant for him.

He didn't know what to make of it but he was sure it had something to do with the Avatar's disappearance. He began to think she felt guilty for talking to him, for looking at him, probably for thinking about him. It made him unhappy and he didn't know why. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her while kissing her senseless.

It had been a two days ago when he had admitted to himself that he wanted her. He had known the feeling had been creeping up on him for a while now but that he acknowledged it meant something to him.

They had picked up the Avatar's trail two days ago. Two days ago Katara and him had split from the rest of the group to search the woods for Aang while Sokka and Toph searched the skies with Appa. Katara hadn't spoken much since they'd separated again and he suspected it was due to her thinking about Aang. At the thought of Katara thinking about another man made Zuko balled his fists and jealousy shot through him.

He didn't want Katara to be thinking about anyone other than him, he didn't want her worried about anyone other than him but that's what he admired most about her. She was always thinking about others, she never once put herself before the group or before him. She was selfless.

He watched her now as they walked through the woods. She was deep in thought; like he had been and she was looking at the trees that surrounded them and searching for her friend. He watched as her hair whipped around her face and her back, her tunic snapping in the wind. She drew her coat closer to her and Zuko wanted to hold her close and warm her up himself. He began to reach for her but decided it wasn't the right time.

He almost walked into her because he had failed to notice when she'd stopped due to his eyes wondering over her body and remembering that day under the water which seemed like such a long time ago.

"What is it?" He asked. He was unsure why she had stopped and became tense when she didn't reply right away. There must have been something up ahead that she had seen to make her stop and this new thought put him on edge.

"Zuko…" She began as she turned to him and looked up at him. He saw it then, what had been on her mind; it was so clearly evident in her eyes. She had been trying to control herself but had failed. He was shocked when she rose up to meet his lips and it only took a second for him to respond.

He had been surprised to see the desire there in the depths of her azure eyes and had been shocked to his core when she had kissed him. He had wanted to taste her again, since that night. He had wanted to hold her and feel her heartbeat next to his reassuring him that he was indeed alive and that he could find happiness amidst all of his pain.

He held her close and reveled in the feel of her against him. Her arms had come up around his neck and her fingers played with his hair pulling him closer to her. She pushed her body against his and a guttural sound left her lips only to be caught in his mouth.

He wanted her. More than he had wanted her before and they were alone in the woods with only the sky as their witness. He could take her, right here, right now but he didn't want to scare her. He didn't want to lose this, this feeling of being complete and whole. He hadn't realized that he had been missing it since he had bared his soul to her.

He pulled her closer, lifting her up and placing her legs around his waist. He moved from her mouth to her neck and began to lick and suck on every inch of exposed skin. He began to throb harder when he heard her moans of pleasure and it nearly drove him over the edge when she began to move against him.

He had to sit down somewhere. He moved from her neck and looked at her. She was beautiful. Her hair was flowing around her face much the same way it had in the water. The top of her tunic was open a little so he could see the soft swells of her breasts and the skin looked so warm and inviting. He noticed her chest rising and falling in rapid succession and knew that she was feeling the same way he was. He then looked up at her eyes and wished he hadn't stopped.

"Zuko…?" She asked her big blue eyes questioning and a little hurt. He didn't want her to be upset but they couldn't finish this now. They were looking for Aang and as much as it hurt Zuko to do this he had to put her down.

"Katara…"Zuko had to clear his throat before he began again because the desire was still flowing freely through him, "I didn't stop because I don't want you. Believe me…I. Want. You. But we're out here looking for Aang..."He wanted to scream; even when Aang wasn't around, he was still a cock block. "Just one last thing…" He placed her on the ground and looked into her eyes again before he kissed her soundly. He felt her arms go around his neck and pull him in close as she leaned into him. His hand moved up her back and rested on the back of her neck, holding her head in place so she wouldn't, couldn't, move.

He reluctantly let go of her but only with his lips. The rest of him was still very much attached to her. He looked down at her and could tell she was having a hard time dealing with the sensations that were coursing through her. He felt warmed up inside when she rested her head on his chest and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you Zuko. I've just been feeling so weird lately and by weird I mean by me wanting to do what I just did weird. I didn't understand it at first and then I began to suspect that the reason Aang hadn't shown up to camp with the others because I've been spending so much time with you. You know he's pretty much my best friend, aside from Sokka…"She sighed again, her hands on Zuko's back moving up and down slowly creating gooseflesh along his entire body.

"Oh…I kind of guessed it had something to do with Aang but don't worry. I'm sure he's fine and that we'll find him. Even if he doesn't like you spending time with me, he'll still come back to the group." Zuko said hoping he was right. He rested his chin on the top of her head and felt content shoot right through him. He could have stayed like that for the rest of his life, war or not.

And they stayed like that for a while, each holding onto the other, reveling in the contact while they both thought about where Aang might be and about what had happened between them. The sun began to set and the wind began to pick up. Katara began to shiver so Zuko decided it was time to set up camp and create a fire that would warm them both up.

"Hey…Let's go find a cave to shield us from the wind for tonight." Zuko suggested and was happy when Katara looked up and smiled her agreement. They set off in search of a cave, hand in hand.

They found one after sundown, a cave that the moon seemed to have guided them towards. They both checked the cave to make sure there weren't any animals sleeping through the day and waiting for night to fall to capture their prey. When the cave had been thoroughly searched Zuko went to fetch some fire wood while Katara set out the stuff they had in their packs.

She sat there for a while with a smile on her face. She had expressed her feelings for Zuko and hadn't been turned away. It was such a feeling to be accepted and she couldn't quite contain it. She wanted to laugh and shout and cry because it made her so happy. She laid out her blanket on the floor and sat down while she waited for Zuko to return.

Her thoughts returned to what had happened earlier that day. She had turned into such a vixen out of nowhere. It slightly scared her. She had attacked him without any thought of the possible rejection that might come of it and had been rewarded with such a feeling of unparalleled pleasure that she had become addicted to it the second it had shot through her.

She definitely wanted to experience it again and she hoped that she'd be able to kiss Zuko again before they went to sleep tonight. She was in fact determined to kiss him again. She smiled at the thought of his arms around her and his hands on her back holding her close.

She had to be careful though. She knew what happened between a man and a woman if they let their pleasure making go too far and she knew she wasn't ready for that responsibility. She had to admit though that she did like the idea of having Zuko's babies. She smiled again. She was just so happy. She had only felt bad about Aang for a second before she realized that she had only had a crush on him. She knew that what she was feeling now, for Zuko, was more than a crush, more than anything she'd felt before.

As the night drew on and Zuko still didn't return Katara began to worry that something had happened. She stood up and paced the small cave they had chosen to sleep in for the night. She checked outside of the cave every five minutes and almost cried out when she saw a shadow approaching her. It was a young man carrying something and she knew it was Zuko. She ran up to meet him and nearly giggled with the relief that bubbled to her mouth.

She offered to carry some of the wood that Zuko was carrying and noticed that he had captured some food to eat. She looked up and beamed at him, dazzling him and making him stop for a second. She looped her free arm around his waist and walked into the cave with him.

He was still surprised at how open she was with him. Before she had nearly slapped him for looking at her the wrong way and now she was jumping on him and caressing him. Not that he hated the change, he was indeed happy that she wanted to touch him but he still wondered at what could have changed her demeanor.

"I was beginning to worry when you didn't return right away." Katara said as she released him from her grasp and placed the wood he had handed her into the pit she'd created.

He smiled at that as he watched her kneel on the ground and arrange the wood so that it would burn warmer. "I should have mentioned that I was going to get food too so you wouldn't worry." He knelt down beside her and offered his hand.

She looked at him and smiled again as she caressed his hand before he sent a flame into the logs. His whole body tingled at her touch and he knew that by the end of the night she would end up in his arms. He smiled back at her as the stood up together. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to feel her body against his and hear her breathing accelerate because of him.

He had to get his emotions under control before he did something he'd regret. When she turned away from him to tend to the food he had caught it gave him enough time to get his body under control and his thoughts, which were the hardest to tame.

He heard her begin to hum and smiled again. He could not remember the last time he had smiled so much; his cheeks were beginning to hurt from all the smiling he was doing. He turned back towards her and saw her watching him.

"What?" He said with a small grin as he moved to sit next to her. She was roasting the meat over the fire on a spit. He watched as their food turned slowly over the fire and looked back at her. There it was; that desire that had been there earlier. He knew what she wanted and he hoped that she knew he wanted it too.

"Oh nothing…I just want to hurry up with dinner." Katara said cryptically with a smile as she looked back at the food and continued to rotate the meat.

Zuko's eyes widened as grasped her meaning and noticed the food rotating a little faster. He wanted to lean back and scream. She was going to drive him crazy with desire. She knew that he knew she wanted him. He was pretty sure that she knew he wanted her too.

"Well here, I can speed up dinner faster." Zuko being the patient being that he is so known for; took the meat and cooked it with his hand. He looked at Katara and cracked a grin when he heard her laugh. "What?"

"Impatient are we?" Katara asked as she moved closer to Zuko and reached for the meat in his hand. He moved it just out of her reach so she'd have to lean over him more and she did. She was practically in his lap, like the day they began this journey, but this time she wanted to be there.

She rubbed her chest over his already sensitive area as she reached for the food and shouted in triumph when she took it from his hand.

"You cheated." Zuko breathed out. He wanted her right now.

"Whatever do you mean?" Katara asked innocently as she widened her eyes while taking a bite from the food in her hand.

"You know what I mean." He said as he jumped on top of her, wrestling the food away from her hand as he pinned her arms down.

"Zuko…?" Katara asked with her eyebrows raised and her body quivering. This is what she wanted but it scared her.

He kissed her then, tenderly and with so much passion that it made her toes curl. That's all they did for a while, each exploring the others mouth and lips, both reveling in the body contact, neither one wanting it to stop.

Zuko slowly released her arms as his hands began to roam and feel their way over her body. His hands went up her arms and down her chest, resting for a second on her breasts, reveling in the feel of them even if they were under her tunic, then moving down her torso to her hips where they stayed, unsure of where they should go next.

Katara was so lost in sensations Zuko was arousing in her she had no idea what was going on or what she was doing. Her hands had gone up into Zuko's hair the second he had let them go and began their path down his neck to the front of his chest where they could feel the corded muscle through his shirt. She moved her hands down towards his waist where they felt the bulge in his pants and she heard the groan that he emitted at the same time.

Both of their eyes shot open as they understood what would happen if they continued. They both wanted more…it. But they both knew that right here, in this cave, while they were searching for Aang was not the time or the place for it. Zuko raised himself off of her and sighed, chuckling when he heard her do the same. He quickly stood up and grabbed his blanket and motioned for her to move over on hers. He sat down next to her and placed his blanket on top of them. He grabbed the food and offered it to Katara who gladly took it and began munching on the warm meat. He lay down next to her with his arm under his head and watched her eat. He was content, happy even and he believed this girl had everything to do with that.

I kind of took a break from the story line and created some happy time for little Zuzu.  
He's been so emotional lately...:) I think it has something to do with his manperiod..hehe :)

So what did you think?


	15. The Rocks

~Hey guys! I know this is short and I know it's been a while...  
But here you go! :D I had a moment of genius but I know it's not a lot.  
I hope you enjoy it. :)  
Merry Christmas! :D

"Great, we were supposed to meet up an hour ago. Where are they?" Sokka said impatiently as he walked back and forth in front of Toph and Appa. Before the group had split up they had all agreed to meet up at the small village of Atshushi that was exactly a four day walk from where they had split up. Sokka and Toph had arrived sooner than Katara and Zuko because they had traveled on Appa.

He hadn't thought about it when they had split up four days ago but he should have gone with Zuko instead of letting his sister travel with him again. He had seen the way she looked at Zuko. He could see the desire that burned in her eyes for him and that worried him to no end. How could he, Sokka, see his sisters' passion…for a man! Needless to say it freaked him out just a lot.

"Sokka, calm down, they said they would be here so I'm sure they'll be here. Maybe they found Aang?" Toph suggested. She didn't care about what Katara and Zuko did, she knew they both had feelings for each other and it made her smile every time she felt their hearts beat faster when they were near each other. She did care that Sokka was worried though and she had promised Katara that she wouldn't tell Sokka.

She remembered that night clearly. It had been right before they had separated to search for Aang. Katara had come right up to her and said flat out, "I like Zuko." Toph had no idea what had made Katara tell her but she had suspected the water bender felt something for the banished prince since they had met up after the bison attack.

"I guessed as much sugar queen. I think he likes you too…but who am I to say if he does or not." Toph had said to Katara with a smile. She knew that Zuko liked Katara, she could feel his feet positioned towards her whenever they stood near each other. She could sense his jealousy whenever Katara mentioned Aang. Toph had known something was going on between the young benders even if they didn't know.

"Please don't tell Sokka. He doesn't need to know. I don't think it will do any good and besides, we need to be looking for Aang right now and then Iroh. We have no time to deal with my emotions about a guy." Katara had said as she'd paced in front of Toph. Toph could feel Katara's rapid heartbeat and knew that she must be thinking hard about her feelings.

"Don't worry Sugar Queen." Toph had said with a smile.

Toph smiled again. She would keep her promise to Katara after all, that's what friends did. Toph walked over to Sokka and punched him in the shoulder.

"Heyyy! What was that for?" Sokka complained as he rubbed his shoulder. He looked at her like she'd grown another head and then looked away, no point in staring down a blind girl.

"Katara said they'll be here, so they'll be here. Don't worry." Toph said as she plopped down on the ground. "They probably found Aang or something and are just taking their time in getting back because they don't think there is any reason to hurry." Toph said, trying to get Sokka's mind off of his sister being alone with Zuko.

xxx

"Katara, wake up…" Zuko nudged her gently as he whispered in her ear. He had been right, she did end up in his arms that night. They had ended up sharing the blanket they were both already under and Katara had snuggled up close to him while she slept because as the night progressed the cave became colder.

He hadn't minded at all. He had pulled her closer and left his hand on her waist. He nestled into the curve of her neck and inhaled the smell of her hair. It had warmed him and he felt more than heard her light hum, like a purr, he had chuckled a little and snuggled closer to her then he had fallen asleep in a heartbeat.

He had woken up before, always rising with the sun even if the sun hadn't been shining into the cave. He hadn't wanted to move because he felt so at peace and so content but he did. He got up and stretched, went outside the cave to get a look at what was around them and noticed the leaves and the frost on the grass. _It's getting colder out_. His grin slipped a little as he realized they would be seeking shelter in houses sooner rather than later which meant he wouldn't be able to sleep next to her anymore. He looked back into the cave and had decided it was time for her to wake up.

"Katara…wake up." He nudged her again and smiled a little as her eyes squeezed shut to keep the light out of them. "It's time to wake up, Sokka and Toph are probably worried about us and we still have to find Aang." He stood up and walked back towards the entrance of the cave. He didn't like the idea of finding Aang. If Aang disappeared then his father wouldn't have a reason to hate him anymore. If Aang disappeared he could be with Katara.

"Zuko…is there any food? I'm a little hungry." He heard Katara say along with rustling of clothes and the blankets they had slept on. He turned to look at her and saw her hair in disarray from sleeping on it, a crease on her cheek from where her sleeve had left an imprint and some dry saliva on her cheek. He smiled a little and walked over to her.

"Katara, you know you drool in your sleep?" He left out a small laugh as he took his sleeve and tried to wipe it from her face. He saw her blush a deep crimson as he rubbed her cheek. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about." He laughed a little, "I'm sure I do much worse in my sleep." He grinned at her, waiting for her to smile back and when she did he removed his hand from her face and went to work on packing the blankets away.

"You know you have a crease on your face from your sleeve right…?" He said not facing her. He had already embarrassed her enough for one day.

"Oh, uhh, thanks." He could practically hear her heart about to fly out of her chest. "So do we have any food?"

He turned to look at her and saw her redoing her braid. He looked around and sighed, they had eaten most of it the night before. "Uhm. I don't think so."

"That's okay; I can wait till we meet up with Sokka and Toph." Katara walked to the opening of the cave and stared at the trees. She looked around and noticed a small gathering of rocks off to the left of their cave. She looked back at Zuko and then back at the pile of rocks.

"I'll be right over here." Katara said as she pointed to the left of the cave, not waiting to see if Zuko saw where she pointed, she left. She walked towards the rocks and noticed they had the same markings at the dagger she and Zuko had pulled from the tree all those days ago.

She lowered herself to the ground and touched some of the rocks; she noticed that most of them were the symbols of the four nations carved into the rocks. Some of them were the lotus and others were marks she had never seen before. She had no idea what it meant. She looked around the rocks and almost screamed.

She ran back to the mouth of the cave and grabbed Zuko. She didn't give him a reason for what she was doing as she pulled him from the cave and towards the rocks. She let him go as she neared them again and she almost sighed with relief, happy that they rocks were still there but worried.

"Zuko…do you see it?" She pointed past the rocks, between two trees that grew from the same stump.

"Yeah…what is it…Oh my goodness." Zuko yelled as he ran towards the shape that lay sprawled between the trees.

It was Iroh.

I'm sure it's not what you expected. I hope you enjoyed it!  
Comments are appreciated.


	16. Pain

Sorry I haven't written anything in so long.  
I've been super busy what with traveling and school now.  
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Blackthorns23 for getting me off  
my butt and making me work on this.  
This one is kind of intense. Not all happy and lovey-dovey.

Prepare yourselves.

Katara looked passed Zuko's shoulder at the man that lay sprawled on the ground. From a distance Zuko had made out the man's shape and face but Katara could only tell when she was kneeling over him.

It looked like he had been severely beaten before being placed between these trees. Whoever had placed him here had obviously left him for dead, not leaving supplies with him for when he might wake. As Katara inspected his face she saw that his left eye was completely shut, swollen from several blows. There was a cut running from his hair line over his right eyebrow ridge and down his cheek.

His top lip was busted open and there was a trail of dried blood coming from his left ear. His hair was dirty and matted with blood. Katara had to stop perusing his face before she cried.

Who could hurt another being so horribly? She knew they were fighting a war and that the majority of the people that didn't make it were usually killed but coming face to face with it like this was something she didn't want to experience ever again.

"Zuko…is he…all right?" Katara asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if Iroh was alive or not and she didn't know how to handle Zuko if Iroh was dead.

"He's alive." Was all Zuko said. Katara could feel the air around him tighten, constrict with the emotions he was holding in.

"…" Katara didn't know what to say. She wanted to make sure Iroh was okay but the cave they had stayed the night in was too far for both her and Zuko to carry the old man. She knew that he needed medical attention but she wasn't entirely sure Zuko move away from his uncle for her to get close enough to him.

"Katara…he needs help." Zuko said, his thoughts seemed to be along the same lines as hers which made her smile a little.

"He does…let me try to help." She said as she stood behind Zuko. She didn't want to force him out of the way and she wasn't entirely sure he'd let her near Iroh but she had to nudge him on the shoulder a little to get him to move.

"I won't hurt him Zuko." Katara reassured Zuko after his eyes quickly darted to hers when she settled down next to the old man. "I promise." She said as she looked calmly back into his eyes. After a moment of intense staring Zuko backed down and moved to the other side of Iroh, gripping his battered hand between his.

Katara looked up at Zuko for a second then rested her gaze on Iroh's batted face. His wounds were severe, even for a beating. The person that did this to Iroh couldn't have been someone who had found out he was fire nation and beaten him out of fear and anger.

No. This was more. This was deeper. The person that had nearly ended Iroh's life had known Iroh personally and had had a score to settle.

Katara sighed. "What is this world coming to? Why can't we just love each other and get along." She said out loud.

She gathered the water around her hands and hovered above Iroh's left eye. She tried to reduce the swelling and managed to a little, until she felt the bigger problem. The swelling was due to a fracture in the skull. It would take time but she could heal it. After she had reduced the swelling over his left eye she moved to the gash that crossed his face. The cut was deep enough so that Katara could see the muscle and the shine of bone.

She had to focus on healing the wound. She couldn't let her emotions ride her the way she wanted them too. She closed her eyes as she focused her energy on closing the wound. It was difficult to do and sweat began to appear on her brow. She continued to focus on closing the skin.

She finally opened her eyes after she felt her energy beginning to ebb. She smiled a little to see that the skin had almost completely close and that she could no longer see the bone. She looked up at Zuko and saw him staring at her, wide eyed.

"…what?" She tried to say but found that she had lost her voice. She smiled anyway; which was strange, but what was even stranger was the world falling onto its side. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened, if it had ever happened.

The last thing she heard was her name from an old man and Zuko.

Xxx

"You know Uncle, this tea is pretty good." Katara lay still. She had been disoriented and scared for a second until she recognized Zuko's voice and relaxed.

"Well thank you nephew, it is rather good huh. This definitely beats what I've been drinking and eating the past few days." Katara was happy to hear the old man talk. She had been terribly worried that he wouldn't make it. Especially after seeing bone because that wound had been so deep.

"I don't think we should talk about that just yet. Let's wait till Katara wakes up at least. She deserves to know what happened to you. She's been helping me look for you since they took you."

"I never would have imagined that you would ask for help Prince Zuko….especially from someone traveling with the Avatar." Katara could hear Iroh grunt as he adjusted himself.

"I surprised myself Uncle. It hasn't been easy you know, working with her. She's not like Mai or Azula, at all. She cares about everyone and when she 'captured' me she offered to go get the food. That was something I was not expecting. She can heal people with her water Uncle, that's how she helped you. She's beau…" Zuko coughed once he realized that he was singing her praises. His skin turned crimson as he looked down at the ground.

Katara couldn't breathe. He was about to say she was beautiful. It felt like her heart had stopped beating for a second and then she could hear it pounding in her ears. She prayed to the moon that Zuko couldn't hear it.

"I see." Iroh said with a faint smile. He was happy to see that his nephew had finally found someone that he could admire, someone outside of their poisonous family…someone with good in them. He looked over at the sleeping form of Katara and wondered if she had heard what his nephew had said about her. _She probably heard the whole thing. She woke up when Zuko started talking about my fabulous tea! _ Iroh smiled to himself again.

"Uncle, you won't tell her what I said will you?" Zuko asked hesitantly as he looked up from the ground.

"Of course not nephew, you should be the one to tell her what you think about her. You are right though, she is beautiful." _And one day I hope to have cute water bending golden eyed grandchildren! _Iroh laughed softly to himself as his mind began to think of ways to get these two together more.

"Uncle, I can't tell her how I feel. Technically we're not on the same side. Even if I confessed that I liked her she would still treat me as the enemy after we're done here." Zuko said solemnly. He placed his small tin cup back on the floor before he gave into the urge to throw it across the cave.

He had no idea he would want to be with her when they started this journey. Before he wanted to hurry up and find his uncle so they could part ways but now…now he wanted to stay with her. He wanted her by his side and he wanted to be by her side. He had no idea what was going on right now. He wanted her but he was afraid…of a lot of things when it came to her.

He looked over at her and memorized the way her sleeping form tended to curl into a ball. He memorized the length of her legs and the curve of her waist. He wanted to smell her again, keep her sweet scent locked away in his memory for when he would miss her most.

He sighed. "We should probably wake her now huh?"

"Yes, just to make sure she's still alive." Iroh said a little worried that he might have been wrong earlier, that she may not have woken up but had merely stilled from lack of breathing.

Zuko gave his uncle a worried glance as he rushed over to her side. He hoped she was still alive. He nudged her shoulders gently as he pulled her up onto his lap. He watched as her eyes fluttered softly and opened, revealing the two sapphire orbs that he was certain that he'd miss.

"What happened?" Katara said softly, her throat a little dry. She had fallen back to sleep after she heard Zuko's confession. It had made her warm enough to fight off the cold that seemed to creep into the cave from the entrance.

"What do you remember?" Zuko said as he brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Well…"She blushed again at the memory of go to sleep with Zuko next to her. "I remember us sleeping in here last night, and I remember us finding…"She gasped as she shot up. "Is he all right!" She looked around the cave and focused her eyes on the sitting form of Iroh.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay Iroh? I was so worried that you wouldn't make it! How are you feeling? Do you have any more injuries that need immediate attention?" She moved from Zuko's lap to sit next to Iroh. She checked his forehead and the gash that had once been on his face.

"That will leave one nasty scar my friend. I hope you're all right. Who did this to you? Do you remember?" Katara said as she bent some of the water out of the air that surrounded them. She placed in around her hands as she grabbed Iroh's and mended the small cuts and bruises that were scattered over it.

"Katara, I will be fine." Iroh said with a small smile, he know understood perfectly what Zuko had been talking about earlier. She did care about everyone, no matter whose side they were on or their background.

"That's wonderful, but I'm still going to fix the wounds that you have just to be sure that they don't get infected or anything like that. I won't have it Iroh." She looked up at him and he backed down a little. He had never come across a woman so determined to help anyone. He laughed.

"What is it Uncle?" Zuko said as he sat on the other side of Iroh.

"Nothing Zuko, nothing." Iroh said as he smiled and watched the young water bender mend his wounds.

"So what happened to you Iroh?" Katara asked with a small voice. She didn't want to know because she didn't want to think that someone could actually harm another person like this. But she needed to know.

Iroh sighed, he knew he'd have to explain to these two what had happened.

"As you both know, I was captured in the middle of the night while traveling with my nephew. We had been on our way to the village Nanamake when some ruffians grabbed my while I was sleeping. They took me to this cave hidden outside of the town, it looked a lot like this one. They put me on the ground and told me not to go anywhere. I just looked at them like they were stupid. Where could I have possibly gone, the cave itself had at least twenty fire benders inside and outside stood even more benders. These guys were definitely off their noodle if they thought I would try to escape."

He paused for a second, trying to not let the emotions surface along with the story. He took a deep ragged breath and concentrated on the wall across from him. He was steadied when his nephew took his hand and Katara touched his arm.

"I lay there for a moment dazed and confused. That was when your darling little sister walked in. She barely looked at me at first, only noticing me after she'd dealt with some papers. When she finally looked at me she smiled. Prince Zuko, I don't know how Azula turned into this…person that she is, but she needs to be saved….or locked away." Iroh said as he looked into his nephew's eyes.

"I know uncle." Zuko hated thinking about his horrible sister. She had always thrived on competition, always wanting to do better than anyone around her, even her friends. She always had to prove she was better than everyone, always shoved it in their faces when she got thechance. It made him hate her even more.

"Anyway, she told me that she had plans for me. She said she was going to set me free and wanted me to head towards the village we were headed towards. Of course I didn't listen but I told her I would do so. When she released me I ran the other way, towards that desecrated village with the broken down walls and the empty houses. It was only later that I realized that that was what she had wanted me to do."

"How did you know that's what she wanted?" Katara asked quietly as she looked over at Zuko. She noticed that the color had drained from his normally pink face; now it was rather pale.

"She showed up at the village. She torched a lot of those buildings looking for me. She even found me but she sent her guards after me. We ended up in the river bed and fought. Many of her men will probably have bad burns that she could have prevented." He sighed, "She was standing at the riverbank, letting her men fight for her and die for her. I had a clear shot so I threw my dagger at her. Of course you know your sister, she managed to move out of the way and the dagger became lodged in a tree."

Zuko looked at Katara with wide eyes and smiled. He stood up and walked over to his bag.

"Nephew…?" Iroh questioned, he had been in the middle of his story, even though it was a sad one he still didn't like being interrupted.

"You know uncle, we passed through that village. Katara and I…uh went searching for you the first night we were there. We were searching for you by the river bed but it was too dark to see anything so we turned back." Zuko looked up at Katara while he was talking and smiled a little because they both knew that they had not been searching for Zuko's uncle. They had been doing something a little more inappropriate. "When we were searching the next day Katara found your dagger embedded in a tree by the river." Zuko said as he pulled out the blade.

Iroh's eyes widened and a smiled crept across his face. "You found it." He gingerly took the blade from his nephew's hands and swept his eyes over the blade. He hadn't realized how much this blade meant to him until he had lost it in that tree.

"Yes uncle. We guessed that the way the blade was sticking out of the tree was pointing in the direction that you ran off in. I think if we kept going in that direction we would have gotten lost. After we reached that river," Zuko blushed slightly at the memory of them under the water, "the Gaang and I split up in different directions looking for Aang and that's how we found you."

"Good." Iroh mumbled as he kept looking at the blade.

"Uhm, Iroh…are you okay?" Katara asked as she looked at Zuko who was just as confused as her.

"It's good that you were looking for Aang and found me, otherwise I probably would have died. So yeah, good." Iroh said, pulling his eyes away from the blade. "Thank you for returning this to me nephew."

They were quiet for a while after that. Neither Katara nor Zuko knew what to say next so they just sat and watched Iroh.

"After I ran from Azula I made it to that river that you two must have been at. The one that is really deep in the middle?" He waited for them to answer then continued when he was satisfied with their response. He didn't catch the blushes that were present on both teenagers' faces. "I stayed there for a couple of days, just hiding and trying to stay alive. I had suffered some minor cuts from Azula's guards but I was fine. After that I left the clearing, I was going to look for you Zuko when some of Azula's guards captured me. Again." He sighed and put the blade on the floor. He didn't want to remember what happened next because the pain would come back with the memories.

"Iroh…are you okay?" He heard Katara say as he pushed around the dirt that was on the floor. He didn't want to recall what had happened. It hurt too much.

"Iroh…no one is going to hurt you. I promise. You are safe right now. Zuko and I are here." Katara sounded like a mom. Iroh knew that he was old, older than this young woman next to him and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hold himself. He'd experienced things he would never wish on anyone else.

Having his nephew and Katara here made him feel warm and safe. He liked that. He breathed in and let it out slowly as he began to tell these two what happened after the guards found him.

"They tied my hands together and attached the rope to a hook hanging from the ceiling. They began to whip me until I could feel the blood dripping down my legs. I could no longer feel anything on my back, just the quick pain whenever the whip seared into my flesh. That was day one. The next day they laid me on a board after they threw a coarse wool shirt over me. As they laid me down, the scabs that had formed over the wounds from the previous day were ripped from my back, so it was like reliving the lashing all over again. On the board they held me down and placed a rag over my face and proceeded to pour water over the rag. I felt like I was drowning." He stopped to breathe. He remembered exactly how he felt when this was going on. He never wanted to experience it again.

"You don't have to continue Iroh." Katara said gently as she placed a hand on his arm. She was horrified that someone would even consider torture. She could see it on Iroh's face; the pain that it had caused him was not only physical but it was also mental. She didn't want to know what else they did to him.

"How long did they have you?" Zuko said. His sharp tone caught Katara's attention and she turned to looked at him. She was slightly taken aback by how furious he looked. His face showed no emotion. This was the Zuko she remembered chasing them. The firm set of his lips and the tightness of his eyes. If she hadn't known that he could be capable of the passion that they had experienced the other day she would be terrified of this man, like she had been before.

"A week I believe." Iroh said. He just wanted to sit and drink some tea. He heard Katara gasped and squeezed her hand. "I'm fine Katara-san." Iroh said to reassure her. "Would you like some tea my dear?"

Katara could only nod as she tried not to imagine what they did to him for a week. She took the cup from Iroh. She looked at Zuko whose eyes were focused on the ground as steam began to lift from his red hands.

"Nephew, do not concern yourself with anger for what these men did to me. Azula would never have wanted them to torture me. She would rather kill me than torture me. These guards acted without her knowing." Iroh said as he offered him a cup of tea.

"So what are you suggesting Uncle? That they not pay for what they have done? You deserve justice." Iroh could see his nephew fuming.

"Well if it makes you feel better, those guards won't be around to be served justice." Iroh said as a hard glint entered his eyes.

"You mean…you…"Katara could barely get it out, she was still in shock over what the guards had done to Iroh. She couldn't believe that after a week of torture he would have enough energy to kill the guards.

"Yes, slowly. They didn't use their fire bending, but I suspect that is because they didn't want to leave an certain proof that it had been fire nation soldiers that had done this to me. I had no such qualms. I roasted each one of them alive." Iroh said darkly as he turned back towards the fire.

Zuko was in shock. He had never seen his uncle like this. This man had always been sweet and jolly, he had never hurt anything as far as Zuko had known.

Iroh looked up at Zuko and saw the questions that lurked behind his eyes.

"I haven't changed Zuko, not much. I'm still the same man I was before, but with a lot more scars. There are just some scars that you can't see. I haven't done something like that since I fought in the army. I won't do it again." Iroh explained, hoping Zuko understood.

The air in the room changed. It was evident that Iroh had changed; the space he occupied just swelled with power that neither Katara nor Zuko had noticed before.

soo...whaddaya think?


	17. A Kiss

So I hope you guys like this! :D  
I've already got the next chapter written half way:)

ENJOY! :3

"He's finally asleep." Katara said as she sat next to Zuko. It had been several hours after Iroh had told them what had happened to him. Zuko was still angry about it, but calmer.

"Good, that's good." Zuko said as he stared out of the cave into the darkening trees. He had felt so helpless when he listened to his uncle retell the torture he'd had to endure for a week. He had known the guards were Azula's, she made sure all of her guards knew who to torture and make it look like it was done by anyone but the fire nation.

"Zuko…" Katara wanted to hug Zuko. Hell, she needed a hug. Especially after hearing everything that had happened to Iroh, but she knew Zuko was a little oblivious and that he wouldn't do anything unless she asked.

"Yes Katara?" Zuko said as he pulled his eyes from the trees and rested them on hers. She could see it then, the pain he was feeling, the anger. She didn't hesitate.

She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that for a second, he couldn't breathe. It took a moment before he hugged her back and she began to cry. Everything she had been feeling for the past couple of days came out in a big rush of tears.

"Katara…" Zuko said, he was completely out of his element and sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do but he wanted to comfort her. "Shhh…it's okay." He kissed her lightly on the head and pulled her into his lap as he rubbed her back. She rested her head against his chest and let her tears fall.

A few minutes passed and Katara stopped crying. She sighed heavily and looked up at Zuko with red flying up the sides of her face.

"Hey…why are you so red?" Zuko asked as he leaned back to get a better look at her.

"I just cried my eyes out and you're holding me and this is so per-…uhm because I was crying in front of you." Katara choked. She had almost told him exactly what she didn't want to tell him.

"I _am_ holding you and _I_ think it's perfect." Zuko said with a smile. He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. "You are the most beautiful person I know Katara and crying only makes you more beautiful. Don't be shy around me. Okay?" When she nodded her head he kissed her softly and pulled away.

He smiled when he heard her whimper. He lifted her up off his lap and stood up. Katara looked at him weird as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the fire, away from the blasting air of the cave entrance.

"Are you tired Katara?" Zuko asked as he pulled her down next to him on his blanket. He pulled her close and laid his arm across her stomach, effectively holding her close.

"Only a little…" Katara managed to get out before she fell asleep.

"I thought so." Zuko smiled as he inhaled her jasmine scented hair and reveled in the feel of her cool body against his. He was calm, happy. Even though horrific deeds had been done to his uncle, he was content with the way things were right now. His anger at his Uncle's torture wasn't gone, but it had dimmed. He wasn't acutely aware of it anymore but he still believed someone should pay for what happened to his Uncle. And he knew exactly the person to pay for it.

…

"Sokka, will you just CHILL THE FREAK OUT!" Toph yelled at him. He had begun to go crazy after Katara and Zuko hadn't shown up at the village yesterday.

"No Toph. I will not 'just chill the freak out'. My sister is out there with that crazy fire bender. Who knows WHAT he's doing to her! I should have traveled with him instead, or you should have Toph. He wouldn't touch you because you wouldn't let him. But Katara, she's so naïve, she'll do anything for him!" Sokka was beginning to lose it.

"Sokka!" Toph yelled as she earth bent a stone fortress around him to get his attention. "Katara can take care of herself, she's been doing that since you guys began this journey. As far as Zuko, you really think your sister would let Zuko touch her if she didn't want it? You need to learn more about your sister and the person she is rather than worry about who Zuko is. Obviously he's changed if he's working with us to find Aang. He isn't hell bent on destroying us all and bringing the Avatar to his father. So just CHILL OUT."

She stood there nose to nose with Sokka for several minutes. Even though she couldn't see she was intent on staring at him and making him back down. When he finally deflated Toph backed down.

"Okay Toph…you're right." He sagged against his earthly prison and thought about what Toph had said. She was right, Katara wouldn't let Zuko touch her unless she wanted…

"Wait. Toph we've got to find them. Katara-We have to stop her from doing something stupid." Sokka said urgently as he began thrashing against his restraints. He didn't like the picture that was unfolding in his mind. His sweet little sister…he should have seen all the signs, and he did but he had ignored them. They'd been flirting at the camp when the group had finally caught up to them. Sokka should have noticed it then that something was off.

"Sokka." Toph warned, she shouldn't have said anything, she should have just imprisoned him and left him alone. She needed to shut him up and make him concentrate on Aang. Berating him hadn't worked and she didn't know what else to do.

"Toph you don't understand. If Katara let's Zuko touch her, _anywhere_, he might get carried away and take-" He was silenced with a kiss. His eyes were wide open and he saw Toph's face go from white to painfully crimson. When she pulled away he just stared at her, a question forming on his tongue.

"I told you to shut up Sokka. Katara can handle herself. She knows about all of that stuff and she knows that right now isn't the time for romantic notions at all. So Sokka the only person you need to worry about is Aang because it's been at least a week since we've seen him. For all we know he could be in the Fire Nation as a prisoner or he could be dead. So stop fussing over Katara, she can take care of herself. Focus on what's in front of you, on what you need to find." With that, Toph turned around and released Sokka from his prison. She walked off towards an uprooted tree and plopped down on top of it as she patiently waited for Sokka to join her.

Sokka couldn't think straight. He was still trying to figure out what had happened. He'd never been kissed to be silenced. It was definitely strange for him and even stranger that it worked. He followed Toph with his eyes and began to notice how pretty she was. She wasn't just a crude, earth bending master; she was also a very smart, very pretty young woman.

He stood there awkwardly for a moment and began to think again. Not about Katara and Zuko, but about Aang and where he could have possibly gone off to.

"Hey Toph, do you know where we are?" Sokka asked as he sat down next to her. He could practically feel the heat radiating off of her, she was so embarrassed.

"Hm, well we were supposed to meet Katara and Zuko at that village right…Atsushi? Well, that's where we are. We haven't left yet, I don't think, and we're still waiting for Katara and Zuko, even though it's been two days. I say we leave them a message with the people we are staying with so we can move on to find Aang." Toph said. Her embarrassment was sliding off of her face as she spoke and her voice became stronger with each word. She had never done anything like that in her life. Of course she had always dreamt of kissing Sokka but to actually do it! She was torn between the cloud of happiness she'd been on and the stinging embarrassment she felt from having fallen off that cloud onto the ground, hard.

"Oh, right. Heh. What if Katara and Zuko found Aang? If we leave, then we'll just be making things worse. Let's stay one more night and if they're not here then we'll continue looking for Aang." Sokka said as he began to think about the night they would spend, awkward and together. He'd never thought of Toph as more than a big bully, a big endearing bully. Now he was remembering her lips on his and it made him feel even more awkward.

"Sounds like a good idea. We'll stay for the night." Toph said as she hopped off the log and walked back towards the village.

Sokka sighed. He was beginning to realize a lot of things that he hadn't earlier. Like the way Toph's hips swung back and forth when she walked…er stomped. He hadn't noticed how feminine she'd become until just now. It's like her kiss had removed a veil he had had placed in front of his eyes.

"It's going to be a long night." Sokka grunted as he followed her.

…

"Aang…don't…"

He began to stir. It felt like he had only just fallen asleep. He'd been thinking about how much Iroh had changed and he'd finally fallen asleep when Katara had snuggled up close to him and her soft rhythmic breathing had soothed his mind.

"Where are you now…" _Is that Katara_? He opened his eyes a little and saw her snuggled up to his side, her hair sprawled out around her face and above her head, her arms out in front of her bent slightly at the elbow.

He got up onto his elbows and looked down at her. He smiled a little. She looked so peaceful laying there, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. He lifted his hand to caress her cheek and saw how different his pale white hand looked against her brown skin.

_We are two different beings Katara but I am so in love with you. _He smiled again. He hadn't realized that beginning this journey with her would cause him to jump off that cliff known as love. He wanted to be with her forever and he would do anything to get that. He continued to caress her face and waited to see if she'd continue to talk in her sleep. He chuckled a little, he could get used to Katara talking in her sleep as long as he was the only one to sleep with her.

"I love you…Aang…" That stopped Zuko cold. His heart plummeted into his stomach and his hand froze on her face. _She loves Aang. _He looked down at the woman he'd just given his heart to and he saw a tear land on her didn't feel it fall from his eyes but he knew it was his.

He lay back down and looked up at the cave ceiling. He didn't want to touch her; he didn't want anything to do with her. He wanted to cry and he wanted to gut Aang. He hoped they never found him. He hoped Azula had found him and killed him.

"Thank you Aang…"He heard her say and he could hear the smile on her lips. He cringed when she snuggled closer to him but he loved the feeling of her against him. He couldn't fault this beautiful creature for not loving him, she was everything he wasn't. She cared for the Avatar in a way he could only begin to understand. Loving the Avatar could only be a job meant for someone with as much patience as Katara.

He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. He imagined filling a box with everything he felt towards Aang and storing it on a shelf in his mind where he could ignore it and move on. Now all he felt was love and he wanted it to stay that way, in time he may be able to come to terms with how much being rejected by Katara hurt but right now, all he wanted to do was hold her close and never let her go.

Please share your thoughts! :)  
I'd love to hear them! :)


	18. Eggs

So I was debating whether or not to put Katara's dream in this chapter  
or put it in its own chapter. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I felt  
that where it ended was good for this chapter.  
I'll work on some more. I might add the dream in next...not sure though  
enjoy! :D

…

She woke up the next morning and looked around. She stretched as she sat up and looked for Zuko. She had so much to tell him and she was bursting at the seams. She never knew that Aang could talk with her in her dreams. She was happy that he knew she loved Zuko and that he was okay with it.

She looked around the cave and saw that Iroh was still sleeping and there was a small fire going but Zuko was nowhere to be seen. She didn't think much of it. He was probably outside doing his fire bending stuff.

She got up to check on Iroh and smiled. He was sleeping peacefully, since Zuko wasn't here she'd tell Iroh about her dream and about how she felt when he woke up. She checked his wounds and healed them again.

She went back over to where she had slept and saw a note where Zuko had slept. She wondered where he'd gotten the paper from and when he'd left it there.

She picked it up and read it. 'Outside. Take care of Iroh till I return.'

Her smile faltered. She could sense something had changed between them just by the words he wrote. She didn't worry but it nagged at her.

She placed the note inside her dress and cleaned up. She folded the blankets and placed them back in the sack. She went outside to look for something to eat and found some eggs.

While cooking the eggs Iroh woke up and greeted her.

"Good morning Katara. Those eggs smell delicious." He said as he sat up and stretched.

"Good morning Iroh." She smiled at him and continued to cook, "Did you sleep well?" She flipped the eggs over on the makeshift skillet.

"Best sleep I've gotten in several weeks, thank you. Where is my nephew?" Iroh said as he moved closer to the cooking fire and looked around the cave.

"He left a note saying he was outside and that he wanted me to look after you." Katara said and Iroh could see her face drop. Oh no…what happened?

"Hm…I wonder what he's doing. May I see the note?" Iroh asked. He her watched her as she handed him the note and he could see her confusion and hurt as she handed it to him.

'Outside. Take care of Iroh till I return.' Even Iroh could feel the cold that dripped from every word. Something had changed between his nephew and this young woman but he was confused because just last night Zuko was praising the woman.

"You know Iroh, I had a dream last night where Aang visited me. He was actually there…or maybe I was with him…I don't know but I saw him. We talked and he accused me of fraternizing with the 'enemy' and I couldn't believe it. I explained that we found you and that you'd been tortured and that's why I couldn't leave you yet. I told him the other reason why I wouldn't leave…" Katara stopped, she hadn't intended to tell anyone but it had all come out all of a sudden. "…I think I'm in love with Zuko." She closed her eyes and cringed slightly, waiting for a negative response, like the one she'd gotten from Aang. But none came and she opened her eyes to look at him.

He was smiling. "I thought so." He smiled even harder when Katara's eyes widened in surprise.

"It was that obvious?" Katara practically shrieked. Her face was engulfed in red hot embarrassment and she just wanted to cry. But she felt relieved, at least someone approved and that's all she had needed.

"Definitely, but I think my nephew is too unobservant to notice." Iroh said as he chuckled slightly, when it came to matters of the heart, Zuko had no idea what was going on. Iroh would be surprised if Zuko knew that he was in love with Katara.

"Well I don't know if that helps or not because from his note he seems distant and harsh. I don't know what I did." Katara sighed as she moved to sit next to Iroh. She held two tin plates with eggs and handed Iroh the fork she'd found in Zuko's pack.

"I noticed that too. I'll have to talk to him."

"No! Don't do that. I don't want him to think that he hurt my feelings or anything. I'll have to do this my way Iroh….I just have to figure out which way that is." Katara mumbled that last part as she and Iroh bit into the eggs she'd cooked.

They sat there munching away when Zuko walked back into the cave. He didn't look at Katara at all, just sat across from Iroh and stared into the fire.

Katara and Iroh looked at each other and back to Zuko.

"Where have you been nephew?" Iroh asked, he knew Katara couldn't speak right now, he'd seen it in her eyes. She was hurt that he wouldn't look at her much less talk to her.

"Outside. Didn't you get my note?" Zuko directed his question at Iroh and ignored Katara again.

"Katara got your note Zuko. She kindly showed it to me. What were you doing outside?" Iroh continued to ask. For some reason, his nephew was avoiding the question.

"I was just looking for some food." Zuko said as he looked at the fire again.

It was quiet and neither Katara nor Iroh knew what else to say.

"I'll pack everything up and go fetch some more water before we leave. I know where Aang is." Katara said as she stood up and walked to where they had slept. She didn't know what was wrong, the night before had been great; they'd slept next to each other, hugged. He even kissed her. What changed?

...  
Comments?


	19. Katara's Dream

Sorry for the wait guys, my computer hasn't been working!

…Katara's dream…

It was beautiful, there were clouds everywhere. At least, she thought they were clouds. She could be wrong, but the scene reminded her of the swamp that she'd seen her mother in. She looked around and saw a young man standing in the distance looking at her. He looked familiar and he had on yellow pants…

"AANG!" She yelled as she ran over to him. She hugged him tightly and didn't want to let go. He began to pull away from her.

"**Aang…don't**…please. Where are you?" Katara said as she held onto him.

"You're happy with him Katara? With the enemy? He's been hunting me since you've found me. Why are you traveling with him? You've found Iroh, go back to the group." Aang said and that was when she realized Aang was talking with her and they were both in the spirit world.

"Aang...how did I get here? This is the spirit world...right?" She asked as she leaned away from him and took in the sight. It looked like the swamp they'd been in but it was darker and lighter at the same time. The shadows seemed darker and the light seemed brighter. She wondered if her mother was here somewhere.

"Katara, in your dreams you can go anywhere and since I can travel through the spirit world I decided to bring you here because we need to talk." Aang said, losing his anger for a moment.

"But how can you bring me to the spirit world...am I dead?" She began to freak out, there were still so many things she needed to do, so many people she needed to save and explain her feelings too. _Like Zuko_.

"No Katara you're not dead," Aang chuckled a little, "are you going to answer my questions Katara?" His demeanor turned serious and all of the anger he had started with returned. Katara hesitated, when Aang had moments like these they reminded her of the powerful bender he was and it scared her a little to think that all of his power could be directed at her. Her anger quickly returned though when she remembered that he had disappeared without a word.

"Yes Aang, I'm happy. How can you still think of him as the enemy? He's helping us look for you! Why did you run off anyways? Iroh isn't in any condition to travel alone Aang and Zuko can't heal him like I can. Where are you now?" Katara's anger quickly grew to include irritation.

"I ran off because you're happier with him than you've ever been with me. I figured if I wasn't there anymore you'd be even happier." Aang lashed out at her, returning to his boyish tendencies.

"Aang, I miss you. You can't just do things like that, not right now because Azula is out there looking for you. She tortured Iroh because he didn't bring her to you. We're pretty sure that she's going to kill you. **Where are you now**? You need to come back to the group Aang. **I love you Aang**, just not the way you want me to." Katara tried to explain everything as calmly as she could but she was starting to wish she could physically harm him.

He didn't say anything for a while but continued to look at her.

"They tortured Iroh?" Was all he said and she nodded.

"You need to come back Aang. Zuko, Iroh and I are in a cave. I'm sure you can find us. Sokka and Toph are hopefully at the village we said we'd meet them at so you could go there too." She said as she turned and started to walk back towards the cloud she first appeared on.

"You're truly happy with him Katara?" Aang said and Katara turned to face him. He looked rejected and hurt and like a little boy.

"Yes Aang, I am. He makes me happier than I've been since my mother died. I really think I'm in love with him." Katara explained as she watched Aang flinch at her last words.

He didn't speak at first then he looked into her eyes and a sad smile flew across his face.

"Okay, as long as you're happy." Aang said and he walked up to her and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry Katara."

"It's okay. **Thank you Aang**." She hugged him back and let go. She smiled as she sat down on her cloud and they began to talk like nothing had happened.

-  
So I bolded the parts of her dream that she spoke out loud so you, my readers, wouldn't have to find it on your own.  
The next chapter will be up soon!


	20. Ain't Talking Bout Love

Okay guys, sorry for the wait. First my computer wasn't working,  
then I had finals and then my mom was getting ready to leave for Texas.  
I've been busy. Anyway! I hope you guys like this chapter.  
If you have any questions about anything please let me know!  
I've gone over this like 100 times and I just wanted to make sure it was good enough.

* * *

Zuko watched her walk towards where they had slept the night before and wondered about her. She had said that she loved Aang only seconds after he had realized he was in love with her. Hearing her say that had torn his heart out. Granted she had said it while she was sleeping but when a person is asleep they can't hide their feelings.

What did Aang have that he didn't? Sure the kid was the avatar but that's all he had going for him. He was a bald 12 year old with an elevated sense of right and wrong._ Nothing special there_. Zuko shook his head. Tearing apart the boy that held Katara's love wasn't making him feel better.

He sighed as he looked back towards the fire. He really should help Katara clean up but he just didn't feel like it. He looked up when he heard rustling and saw that his uncle had moved to sit next to him.

Great.

"So what's wrong nephew?" He should've seen that one coming. He knew he had been acting differently towards Katara since he found out about Aang.

"Nothing." He wasn't going to tell his uncle the problems of his heart. No way.

"Really because it seems like you hate the girl and all she's ever done was care about you…" Iroh had to make sure he didn't give too much away about Katara's feelings. He didn't want to ruin the way these two built their relationship.

"Care about me? Uncle she loves Aang, the freaking Avatar. Why would she care about me? You don't know anything old man." Zuko couldn't hold those words back. The hope that his uncle had planted in his heart made him want to smile but he knew they were lies.

"How do you know she loves the Avatar? Has she told you that? You cannot make assumptions; that will be the end of you." Iroh said as he sadly shook his head. He didn't wait for Zuko to answer any of his questions because Iroh already knew the answers. He got up and walked over to Katara and helped her with the cleaning up.

"Miss Katara, how do you know where Aang is?" Iroh asked as he leaned over to help pick up the blankets.

"He came to me in a dream last night, I told you that." Katara snapped at Iroh, she stopped and looked at him, "sorry. He told me where he was after I explained to him where I was and why." She continued packing and turned around to look at Zuko.

She quickly grabbed the blanket Zuko was sitting on and yanked it out from under him. She decided to treat him the same way he had been treating her. She continued cleaning up until she was done and walked outside the cave and sat on the ground, waiting for Zuko and Iroh to join her.

Zuko was stunned. He had not expected that reaction from her at all. He'd seen the hurt in her eyes earlier when he'd walked in but had ignored it because he still felt hurt. Now her eyes were like ice daggers being hurled into body whenever she looked at him.

Iroh chuckled to himself as he walked passed Zuko, "You should have seen that one coming nephew." Iroh said as he walked out the cave and began a conversation with Katara.

Zuko's eyes widened slightly before he sighed and followed them out of the cave.

They'd been walking for hours now Zuko was certain of it. Every tree he passed looked the same as the one before it. He was certain Katara had no idea where they were going. She claimed the avatar had come to her in a dream, _big shocker there_, and he had told her where to go and how to get there.

He hated thinking that the young air bender could just jump into her dreams like that. It's like she wasn't truly alone. It made him wonder if the boy had ever jumped into his dreams to see what he thought. The idea made him shudder. He really needed to stop thinking about this stupid boy. Aang wasn't going to make him feel any better. No, Zuko wanted Katara's love but Aang had it.

_I could always kill Aang, then there would be no Aang for Katara to love and she'd love me!_ Zuko smiled at the idea for a second then realized Katara would hate him if he killed the boy. _I can always give him to Azula and _she _could kill him. _Zuko stroked his chin, _that actually sounds like a good idea. Then Katara will be really upset and will need someone to comfort her._ Zuko grinned but then his grin faltered. _I can't do that either, Katara trusts me and knowing Azula, she'll let everyone know that I was the one that gave Aang to her. _Zuko mentally that idea away.

He could always try to woo her, like the people in the Fire Palace do. He just wasn't sure if Katara was into that kind of stuff. Sure she was a girl but she had kicked his butt enough times for him to know that she was more tom boy than girlie girl. He of course would never admit it out loud that she had beaten him. They'd always ended in 'ties'.

He sighed, long and loud, not being happy with the way things were beginning to look, until he looked up. He decided to enjoy the view as he watched Katara's hips sway back and forth as she walked in front of him. He would never have guessed she could be so passionate if he hadn't experienced it for himself even though the sway of her hips hinted at a sultry, sex kitten. He chuckled a little as he continued to enjoy the view. He could always count on Katara cheering him up, whether it was intentional or not.

He looked over at his uncle and knew the old man was hurting. He could see the wincing Iroh tried to hide from everyone. They should stop so Iroh could take a break. Zuko wasn't about to ask the Katara if they could stop, she might rip his head off with her bare hands if he spoke to her. He decided to ask Iroh instead.

"Are you all right uncle? Do you need to take a break?" Zuko asked loudly, knowing Katara would hear his words and realize that she might be pushing them too hard.

"Oh my goodness, Iroh" Zuko smiled triumphantly when he heard her say that, "I am so sorry! We should rest. I was so focused on getting to Aang I forgot that you were injured! I feel terrible. Is there anything I can do?" Katara said as she ran over to Iroh and helped him to the ground.

"Now now, Katara I'm fine! We need to keep going and find Aang. We shouldn't stay here for very long…" Iroh complained as both Katara and Zuko helped him to the ground. Their hands touched and for a second Zuko saw Katara's face soften and her eyes turn light blue, the way her face had looked before they had found Iroh. Then her face hardened again and Zuko was shut out. He didn't understand. If she loved Aang why had she been all over him? Why had she kissed him? Why had she practically melted at his touch?

He was beginning to hate girls.

"Iroh where does it hurt the most, I don't have very much water." Katara said as she turned her attention back to Iroh. She knelt down next to him and looked over his body, noticing that the minor scrapes were healing nicely. She remembered thinking he had been lucky that the person who had injured him hadn't broken any of his ribs. In short, it was a miracle. They'd gone for his head, hoping to crush his brain. His legs had been severely injured though, one of his knee caps had been shattered and his foot had been broken. She was surprised to see him in the cave when she had woken up.

She'd been able to heal his knee cap but he would always limp. His foot wasn't too badly broken, just a few of the bigger bones had been split and Katara had been able to repair them without any problem. She wondered what was bothering him now though. His skull had been healing nicely and she knew he hadn't broken any ribs, but he walked as if it were hard for him to breathe, like a rib was sticking into his lung.

"Iroh, where do you hurt?" She asked forcibly, she was worried that she had missed something.

"It's my leg darling, my knee is just not what it used to be." He said, knowing she knew what he meant. They had kept the kneecap injury from Zuko because they both knew a vein would rupture in his head if he found out.

"Iroh, you're out of breath. Is there anything else you're not telling me? I can find out on my own but I would rather not be forceful with you." Katara said again, pulling out her mom voice knowing it would intimidate him enough to be honest with her. Iroh hesitated a second before he spoke.

"It's nothing Katara. No ribs are broken. I'm just not used to walking this far for this long. It is tiring." Iroh said as he tried to look as pitiful as possible, hoping Katara would take let up a bit and just give him some water.

"Iroh, you're acting weird. You know that? You're limping, how is your foot?" Katara said, unrelenting on her assault to make sure Iroh was all right. She knelt down next to his foot and without an answer began healing his injured foot.

It had been bothering him. It was swollen from walking so quickly and Katara mentally chastised herself for making them walk at such a fast pace. She should've realized he wouldn't be able to walk so fast. She began healing his foot when he yelled for Katara to duck.

She stopped what she was doing and hit the floor, knowing Iroh wouldn't yell for unless it was serious. She felt the heat of his fire just above her back, where her head had been only seconds before. She was grateful that Iroh was so aware of his surroundings. She rolled out from under his arm and turned around as she jumped up. She was curious as to who was attacking them, but she had a pretty good idea who it could be. It had to be fire nation or people after Iroh, which would make them fire nation.

She was right, fire nation, and from their clothing, they were from the palace which meant one thing. Azula.

"Zuko, watch Iroh!" Katara yelled as she ran towards the fire nation soldiers. She had no idea what she was going to do but she needed to make sure Iroh was safe. He wasn't able to stand up and fight so she felt that he depended on her and Zuko more. She wanted to protect him. In the short time he'd been with her and Zuko she'd already come to love the man as her own uncle. He reminded her of her father.

With that thought she created a water whip from the air and sliced through the fire nation armor, knowing she'd leave a welt on the man's arm. She grinned at the man before her and found the strength to do something she'd never done before, she bent the water out of the trees and grass around her and froze the man to the ground. When she was done, he looked just as stunned as she was.

She didn't have time to think about it though because more soldiers were coming. She looked back to where Iroh and Zuko were and saw Zuko fighting off one soldier while two others came up behind him. Iroh was sending fire balls towards them but they weren't strong enough to keep the soldiers at bay.

She started to run back when she saw lightning out of the corner of her eye. She flung herself to the ground and could feel the electricity crackling above her. She looked in the direction that it had come and saw Azula. Oh how she hated that woman.

Katara bolted towards Zuko and Iroh and once again bent the water out of her surroundings, only to use the water she collected as a wave that sent all of the soldiers flying backwards. She was fading quickly, she had no idea what she was doing but bending water out of plants was consuming a lot of her energy. She could feel the darkness creeping in but she couldn't give in just yet. Azula was still here, they weren't safe.

She looked around and noticed the soldiers were running from her and Azula was watching her. Katara saw a look of surprise on her face which was quickly concealed by her usual cold demeanor before she turned to leave. Whatever Azula had come for she didn't get. Katara was thankful that she'd driven them back. She wouldn't rest though until they were away from this place.

She turned to look at Zuko and saw him eyeing her, his mouth open a little and his eyes wide.

"Yes?" She asked as she walked towards him, forgetting her anger for a moment to check him for injuries.

"You just….sent Azula's personal guard flying and all you have to say is 'yes?'?" He was stunned. She acted like what she'd just done was normal.

"Honestly Zuko, I have no idea what I just did. But I'm glad that I sent them flying, it gives us time to find Aang and heal Iroh properly." She was close now, closer than she'd been all morning. Zuko could smell her sweet scent and he could feel his body stirring at her being so close. He looked down at her face and saw her blue eyes wide and lips parted slightly as she looked up into his face. He knew then that she felt the same thing he felt.

"Katara…" He wanted her and if his uncle wasn't there...

"Iroh!" He looked down at the old man and he was silent. Zuko wasn't sure if Iroh was breathing or if he was dead. Katara seemed jolted out of her trance as well as she turned to Iroh. He was lying on the ground, a hand over his chest. She ran to his side and leaned over his face. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the faint exhale.

"He's alive Zuko, but I need your help in sitting him up right." She said as she turned to him. Zuko bent down and helped her position Iroh so he was sitting up right.

"Katara, I-" Zuko began

"Zuko, we need to move him to somewhere dry and concealed, I think there is a village half a day's walk ahead of us. Maybe you should go see if there are some people who will help us." She had cut him off, afraid of what he was going to say. She had experienced what he had, the feeling of desire that had suddenly coursed through her body at being so close to him. She'd seen in his eyes that he had felt it too.

"I'm not going to leave you here Katara." Zuko said.

"Then you stay here with him and I'll go." She had wanted to rest because of the darkness that was creeping in on her from bending as much as she had, but she would go to the village in search of help if she needed to.

"No Katara." He placed his hand on hers, he didn't want her alone. Azula never gave up on a fight and when she had today Zuko became very suspicious. "We're going to stick together." He wanted to kiss her and tell her how he felt. He knew he was stepping over some boundary with her loving Aang and Zuko loving her but he didn't care. Right now he just wanted her safe.

"Zuko…"She whispered his name and leaned closer to him, "Someone needs to find Aang."

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Questions? Comments?


	21. Is this love?

So hey guys! I haven't been ignoring the reviews!  
Thank you guys! I love you all! I've had a difficult time with this  
because it felt like I wrote myself into a corner but then I remembered  
AANG! So more Aang in this one than the others.  
And I don't know Sokka's favorite snack, just figured it  
it was some kind of jerky. x) Hope you guys like it.

* * *

"Where is she?" They should've been here hours ago, Aang already didn't like the idea of Katara being around Zuko but now that he knew she was in love with him he felt devastated. He just wanted to see her again, he knew his heart couldn't take it anymore.

But he had found peace yesterday, while walking through the trees. He needed to find that peace again

Yesterday

"Roku…I need to talk with you." Aang's voice had been shaky proving that his confidence in himself was more than shaken. He sat down in the hut he had fashioned himself out of trees, he had been proud of himself. He'd maneuvered the trees to form a small club house that protected him from the rain and wind while looking like a mangle of trees to anyone passing by.

He glanced around the small room again, remembering every step that had led him here. He had left the group when they'd gone after Zuko and Katara. He couldn't bear to see her happy with him, he was supposed to be the enemy not Katara's love interest. He could see it all over her face even though he'd heard her and Sokka talking about it. He knew those feelings inside of her for Zuko would be fanned and the flame he had ignited would grow. He couldn't watch.

He had run so far away from them. The two lovers, water and fire, the harmonious mix of life and death, cold and heat- one could not survive without the other it would seem. As the day's passed after his disappearance from the group, Aang had found himself thinking more and more about the two of them, in each other's arms. He hated going to sleep at night because he could see her in his head, talking to Zuko, sitting with Zuko, laying with Zuko…

He couldn't stay awake forever though and when he slept, it was fitful sleep that carried terrible dreams. He never thought caring about a person could be so terrible, that it could bring so much pain. That one night though, that he had found her in the spirit world had actually been a dream of his. He had been grateful for the end of the nightmares and even more so when he'd seen Katara. He'd known when she had responded to him that she could really see him and that she was consciously aware of him.

He wanted to run to her and tell her how he felt but then he had realized she was happy with Zuko. He could feel all of her emotions and he felt something he wished he hadn't. He had lashed out at her, hurt and angry that she could betray him like that. How could she possibly love the man that had hunted him for so long? How could she love the man that had caused nothing but pain for Katara's family? He didn't understand and he didn't try.

But he was no match for Katara's charm, even when she was angry with him she still proved to care about him. She did love him and Aang knew that but it made him sad to know it wasn't the same love he felt for her. He had had to let go of his anger at her for something she couldn't control. He didn't like it but he did like that she was happy. He needed to focus his attention on getting back together with the group though. He really shouldn't have left like he did and he realized now that it was one of the more childish things he's done since the group had been together.

He sat there now looking for Roku and for a way to escape the feelings that were swarming inside of his mind, each different emotion clamoring for his attention all at once. He needed something to center him and for the longest time it had been Katara. He could no longer rely on her to center him and he knew now that he could only rely on himself and the past avatars.

"Roku I need to talk to you…" Aang didn't know who else to turn to and if he was going to start relying on his past lives why not start with the most recent?

"….don't think he's coming…" First Katara rejected him, then Roku doesn't respond to him when he needs him the most. _Great_. He stood up and walked to the middle of the room, deciding the best way to solve his problems was a walk. He silently descended the stairs that were in the middle of the trunk. He counted each step, trying to find some order in this chaos. He made it to the bottom before his thoughts were pulled back to Katara.

It was the way of the monk to leave all earthly possessions behind and become one with the world. As the avatar he should do this more than anyone else. He walked through the trunk of the tree, bending it to allow him passage, as he walked into the sunlight blinded only for a second. He looked around and saw the life that surround him even though he felt like the bottom of his world came out from underneath him. Then it struck him.

That's all that it was, the bottom of _HIS _world. He needed to focus on _the _world. He had been hiding in a trunk, shut away from the sun, the trees, grass, and birds. He had shut himself away from life. He needed to focus on those things, focus on the sun that gave life instead of feeling like his was gone because one thing didn't go right. He looked up to the sun, shut his eyes and reveled in the feel of the sun warming his bald head. He smiled at the way the wind danced through his clothes and felt a peace settle on him.

He was back. The avatar was back. He could focus again. He knew that Katara would never love him the way she loved Zuko but he didn't feel the blind pain that he had earlier. It was merely a scar upon his hard. He sighed as the weight of his emotions were lifted and began to focus on the place he was supposed to meet Katara and Zuko.

Today

He looked at the trees once more. It was the afternoon but he could still feel the sun shining through the canopy and the soft breeze that danced with the leaves there. He needed to remember that _this _world was the one he protected, the one that he loved more than anything. He calmed himself once more and began to look down at the village Katara had said Sokka and Toph would be at. He couldn't see them but that could have to do with the village and the people in it looking like ants. He had to disguise himself before he entered the village. He looked around and saw an abandoned old saw mill between some trees further up the ridge he was on. He checked the time of day with the sun and looked down at the village. He needed to make sure there was no fire nation and there didn't seem to be any.

He walked over to the mill and checked the door. There was a warning on the door saying the mill was closed due to unstable machinery and toxic air. _Well that doesn't sound good_. Aang took in a deep breath and opened the door. He could see the dust on the machines and the particles floating in the air. He looked around and noticed a long, wide cloth hanging over some of the machines. He walked towards it and pulled it off. Then he saw it.

The machines weren't unstable, they'd just killed someone. A body had been sucked into the machine, cutting the person in half. From what Aang could tell the person had been a man and the accident had happened several years ago. Aang shuddered at the sight of the dead man. He left the cloth there, not wanting to drape himself in death. Seeing a dead man before noon was not a good omen.

He decided to leave the mill and walked out the door. He didn't want to see what any of the other machines had done to people. He looked at the trees for help instead. There were leaves, more leaves, oh and more leaves. _Yeah….not going to walk into any village with a hat made out of leaves. _He just decided to cover himself in mud and act like a beggar. So he covered his arrows and most of his face and walked towards the village.

In the village he could feel people staring at him. _So much for blending in, guess these people don't see beggars that often. _He looked around as he hunched over, trying to make himself seem skinnier and less fit, like a beggar would. He looked around for a hotel that Sokka and Toph would most likely stay at. Then he stopped when he saw the two walk out of a store, hand in hand.

_WHAT? _Aang's mouth dropped open. _Sokka and Toph? Sokka gets the girl but I can't? Are you serious! _Aang hunched over even more, and waddled towards them, he let his anger slip away and regained his composure. _I never would have imagined this in a million years. _

"Money for the poor?" Aang said once he got close enough to the two love birds. He could see he'd shocked them by asking for money. He could sense they were even more shocked to see him once they recognized him.

"We'll do you one better old, dirty man! We'll bring you to our place where you can have a warm meal and take a bath." Sokka said, knowing that would be the only way to get Aang safe.

"Who is it dear?" Toph said, acting her best not to let other people know she could 'see' Aang.

"An old, dirty, stinky man my love. He asked for some money so instead I invited him over for a meal and a hot bath. Is that all right with you butter muffins?" Sokka said. Aang was getting tired of them fawning over each other. They were acting like a married couple and they'd only known each other for a very short while. And he was getting tired of Sokka calling him an old dirty man.

"That is perfectly okay with me. The least we could do is help others who are less fortunate." Toph said loudly. They'd been talking loudly since Aang showed up, putting on a show for anyone who was watching, which Toph could feel was everyone.

"Wonderful! Now old man, let us be off! We live in that direction!" Sokka yelled enthusiastically, pointing towards a hotel further up the road. He led the way as the entire village watched them leave.

Once they made it out of the village and towards the earthen house Toph had made herself and Sokka Aang stood up and looked at them.

"Old, dirty, stinky man? Really Sokka, do I look that old?" Aang said as he looked at Sokka and Toph. They seemed different, older almost. _He hadn't been gone that long had he_? Aang began to worry again, thinking he'd disappeared in his tree for another several years.

"What? No, you don't look that old! But we do huh?" Sokka said, reading Aang's mind. "We've been wearing these costumes in town so no one would bother us. We pretended to be married so they wouldn't think we were with the Avatar. Word of the Avatar and his gang has traveled everywhere and this village seems to be pro fire nation, I have no idea why though. They aren't fire nation, in fact I believe they are earth kingdom so that just makes things even weirder. So yeah, no we aren't together, no we aren't older, yes we're still waiting for Katara and Zuko."

Sokka took a breath and looked at Aang. Aang seemed older too and not just because of the mud covering his body. His eyes didn't have the same childish sparkle they had had when they'd began this journey. Sokka felt like he'd been transported to the future, before him stood an older, muscular Aang, but it was only a vision and it was gone. Before him stood the young stick of an avatar but his face still held that older Aang that he'd seen in his vision.

"Oh I see. I was supposed to meet Katara here this morning. Something must've gone wrong for her not to be here." Aang walked into the hut Toph had made. He felt bad that he hadn't said anything to her yet but he didn't really feel like talking. She knew how he felt so she didn't talk either. Sokka seemed to be the only one completely oblivious to Aang's feelings.

"I don't like her being around that boy you know. He isn't good for her, he isn't good for any of us. He's been hunting you down since we found you and now she's gallivanting through the woods with him. He must be a witch or something. That explains it! She's under a spell! How could anyone like Zuko enough to be around him for that long?" Sokka just kept talking; unaware of the scars he was opening on Aang's heart. Yes Aang had found peace but it was still fragile and young.

"Hey Sokka, do you have any food?" Aang asked, not wanting him to go off on another rant about Katara and Zuko. Sokka smiled.

"Come now Aang, you know me! When would I NOT have food?" Sokka walked over to the makeshift cupboards and pulled out his favorite snack, duck jerky.

That night

"Aang, you sure you don't want any more mystery soup?" Toph said as she took the ladle from the big pot in the middle of the room. No one wanted any more mystery soup except Sokka, she was only asking Aang to start a conversation. She could feel his hurt and pain filling him from the bottom of his soul. He needed to let it out or it would consume him.

"Uh, no thanks Toph. How've you been? Sokka hasn't been a complete weirdo has he?" Aang was trying to deflect Toph's curiosity because he knew what she wanted.

"No, no, he hasn't been. He's been really...sweet." Toph said with a blush. She didn't want anyone to know that Sokka kept her warm at night or that they weren't just pretending to like each other because she knew it was only temporary and that it was only a fantasy. War had a way of bringing out the weirdest possible situations.

"That's great," Aang said, sensing she was being sweet on Sokka too, "I'm glad he's being sweet. You deserve someone like that." Aang said with a smile as he looked back down to the bowl of mystery soup in his hand.

"Th-Thanks Aang -" Her voice caught in her throat, _how had he known?_ She had no idea. "So when did Katara tell you she'd meet you here?"

"In a dream."

"A dream?" Toph shouldn't have been surprised, he was the avatar after all, but she was.

"Yeah and since she's not here with Zuko or Iroh so I'm going to assume something happened and try to make contact again tonight. Which reminds me...where am I sleeping Toph?" Aang said, not giving her any room to talk about Katara or Zuko.

"Oh, uhm over here..." Toph said as she put her foot to the ground and felt the earth shudder as it pushed forth a bed covered in soft green grass next to the fire. "It can get cold at night so you can sleep next to the fire..." Toph said, her blush letting Aang know she and Sokka shared a bed at night.

"Thanks, I'll be off to bed then. I'm sure you'd like to get some rest too." Aang said again and gave Toph a hug, glad to see a familiar face even though she wasn't as rude as she had been before.

"Night Aang." Toph said as she walked away, towards the room with the soft bed and warm arms waiting for her.

Aang lay on the soft bed for a while, sleep not coming to him as easily as he had hoped. He bent some of the earthen ceiling away so he could gaze at the stars. His mind wondered and before he knew it he was in the spirit world. He looked for Katara everywhere but couldn't find her. _She must not be asleep yet..._He continued looking though because the thoughts that began to surface of what she could be doing at this hour other than sleeping made his heart tear a little.

He found her. She was sitting on a rock, the same way he'd found her the first time. Her hair around her shoulders like a curtain keeping the world at bay. He sighed at the sight of her and felt happiness bubble inside again.

"Katara...?" He called out as he walked towards her. He hoped it was her, one could never be sure when it came to the spirit world.

"Aang?" It was her all right. "Aang! Thank goodness I found you! I was hoping I'd be here again! I need you to find me! We're in a cave, Iroh is injured and can't walk. The fire nation destroyed his kneecap and when they ambushed us the second time they go this foot. Zuko won't let me leave to come find you because Azula attacked us and then retreated so he thinks she's up to something. He won't leave because he doesn't want her coming back while he's gone and taking me prisoner and killing Iroh. -"

He hugged her quickly before she could finish her long drawn out speech, even though he knew it was important and he knew that she had been attacked, all he could think about was not having her love him. He needed to hold her.

"Katara, I will find you. Don't worry. I'm just glad you're safe. I've missed you." Aang said calmly, asserting himself.

"Aang, you know I miss you. You know I've missed you since you left. You know how I feel about you. I just want you back where I can keep you safe." Katara said as she hugged him back. She'd been surprised at first at the hug but had welcomed it. She felt something inside of her become complete again.

"So where are you?" Aang said as he let her go.

"We're in a cave somewhere. I can't be sure exactly. I know we're still a day's walk from the village so we're not too far but be careful, Azula may still be out there." She looked at him and saw that he had changed. He seemed older. It wasn't his physical appearance but his eyes were different. They didn't hold any of that childish excitement anymore and he held himself differently now. He stood taller and emanated a sense of authority and calm that only a self confident person could.

"Okay I'll be careful. Toph and Sokka are here, we'll leave in the morning. You should get some rest Katara. We'll find you." Aang said as he raised his hand to her face and felt her soft, warm skin against his palm. He had missed her. He loved her with all his being and not being with her was destroying him slowly but she wasn't meant for him. He would do his avatar duties and rid his mind of his emotions until his job was done.

"Goodnight Aang."

"Goodnight Katara."

* * *

So, I know a lot has happened in this chapter but I needed to make up for lost time. I also apologize for all the Aang but he's been MIA for so long I decided that to continue the story, we needed to know what he was up to. It would seem that he's changed.

Comments or questions would be lovely! If you have any ideas about what should happen next that's also welcome! Thank you!


	22. Now or Never

Hey everyone! I've been having some  
MAJOR writers block. Took me a couple of days to  
churn this one out. I hope you guys like it.  
I feel like it mirrors my life x)

Katara woke to the sounds of a fire and soft voices. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, hopefully not too long. She needed to tell Zuko that Aang was coming to find them with Sokka and Toph. She sat up slowly and saw Zuko sitting across from her. He was watching her, his eyes half closed and small grin on his face. Next to him was Iroh, the same half lidded look with a small grin. Something was wrong. What was that smell? Something wasn't right and why wasn't it affecting her? She saw something burning in the fire. She stood up and walked over to the fire and looked.

It couldn't be…could it? She squinted into the fire to get a better look and sure enough it was one of the herbs her gran gran had told her about. It was supposed to be medicinal, and it was used in the earth kingdom to treat some illnesses. She had no idea how Zuko got some of it but he did and he had put it in the fire. Now both he and Iroh were completely gone, their eyes were already turning red.

"Great…well now he won't complain when I tell him." She looked up at Zuko and smiled.

"Hey Zuko," Katara said with a smile, "how are you feeling this morning?" She hoped he wouldn't be a complete douche this morning. One never knew how this particular drug affected its user.

"Katara, I. Feel. Amazing. You have no idea. These past couple of days I've been super stressed because we were being attacked and you love Aang and my uncle…" Zuko turned to look at the person in question and his lips started to tremble, "Uncle! I was so worried! I thought for sure you were dead. I wanted to cry but I couldn't because if I did I would be weak. It reminded me of the time when mom left and I couldn't lose you too uncle." Zuko began to cry, small sobs emanating from his being.

When Iroh saw this he too began to cry and Katara just stared at them. What was she supposed to do now? Two adult men were crying in front of her like they were babies. She had to do something and quick…but not until after she told Zuko about Aang.

"Iroh, Zuko, enough." She said it low enough to be menacing and loud enough to be heard. They both stopped crying and looked at her as if she'd grown another head. Of course, to them she might have.

"Zuko I have news for you and Iroh. We should be joined later tonight by Aang, Sokka, and Toph. I talked to Aang last night in a dream and told him where we were and our circumstances. So calm yourselves and we'll have a good supper tonight." She hoped he wouldn't say anything else but by the way his eyes had widened at the mention of Aang's name she highly doubted he would stay quiet.

"You had _another_ dream about that bald boy?" Zuko's face was starting to turn red. "You seriously love that bald little child? I don't understand it Katara. He's a boy, I'm a man. What has you so positively smitten with that petulant asshole that you can't see what's right in front of you? I mean…I would do anything for you! I would sacrifice my right to the throne of the Fire nation to be with you and you want to be with a flying monk?..."

He paused to breathe without realizing the affect it had on Katara, "I fell in love with you when you were traveling with me, when you offered to help me, YOUR ENEMY, find my uncle. That's when it began, I know it. I couldn't believe it at first, you were my enemy and a peasant. But then I began to know you and I realized I was completely wrong about you. You are amazing, simply amazing Katara. But if you don't love me like I love you then I'll just have to be happy that you are happy with Aang…" He choked back a sob at the thought of her being with Aang and he lowered his eyes from her. He looked to Iroh then back at the flames.

Katara was speechless. She was completely unprepared for this. Zuko had just confessed that he loved her, albeit under the effects of a really powerful drug, and had accused her of loving Aang. She wanted to slap him for his arrogance in assuming such a thing.

"W-What made you think I was in-in love with Aang?" Katara said hesitantly, blushing when she stammered.

"I think it was two nights ago, maybe more, we were sleeping next to each other and I woke up in the middle of the night with a realization. I loved you. I turned to wake you and tell you but I heard you talking to someone in your sleep. I waited til you finished your conversation in your dream, you're awful pretty when you sleep…then I heard you say "I love you Aang" and that's when I knew." His words were slurred together like he'd been drinking but Katara believed it was part of the drug. They had no alcohol.

"You're an idiot Zuko." Katara said as she sat down next to the fire and began removing bits of the herb from the flames. This drug needed to go. She did not like hearing these things from an inebriated Zuko.

"Katara…I'm not an idiot. I just love you." Zuko said as he moved to her side to be closer to her. While this whole thing transpired, Iroh sat and watched. A small grin had formed on his face.

"I knew it." He said rather loudly, catching both of their attention. His grin disappeared and a small 'o' appeared.

"You knew what?" Katara snapped.

"That he loved you." Iroh smiled again and placed his hands on his belly. Rather content with himself and pleased that he had foreseen this. "Now the only question is Katara, do you love him?"

For a second, everything in the cave seemed to freeze. Zuko seemed to hold his breath while Iroh's eyes hardened for a moment, making Katara think he wasn't completely gone like she had first thought.

"Is that really the only question Iroh? Because I'm sure you could think up more if you really tried." She dodged it and stood up looking for the pot they used to cook in. "I need to get something to eat for all of us so you two need to stay here. You can't help anyways." After she located the pot she placed it over the fire and poured water in it.

She knew that would take a while to boil so she left the cave in search of some vegetables and meat. She hoped it took her a while to find anything.

She had left when the sun was still rising, now the sun was high overhead and the birds were chirping. She sighed. A lot had happened the last few hours. A lot of thinking had gone into what Zuko had said and she still wasn't sure how she felt about it. Yes, she loved Zuko and it had made her completely happy when he'd told her but he had told her while under the influence of a drug and she wasn't completely sure she trusted the ensuing confession.

She sighed again. Her heart was definitely heavy today. She had no idea what to do anymore. It seemed like their mission to teach Aang all the elements to defeat the fire lord had been put on hold while she had a romantic fling with their enemy. She knew they needed focus, she just didn't know how to obtain it.

She walked in the direction of the cave and hoped Zuko and Iroh were calmer than they'd been. She had been able to find some small onions about a miles walk from the cave and on her way back she'd managed to catch a small boar. She had somehow entranced the boar and made it follow her back to the cave. Now that she was walking with it she didn't want to kill it.

She looked down at the boar and it looked up at her. Its small black eyes void of intelligence and emotion, drool escaping from its mouth.

"Aww, I can't kill you…." Katara said as she waved her hand over the boars head and retracted that magic water bending she'd used earlier on Azula's soldiers. She had managed to get the hang of it without it knocking her out. This poor boar didn't need to die to feed her; she would just eat the onions.

As soon as the 'spell' was lifted from the boar it froze and stared at her. The dull eyes began to sharpen and Katara could see the small animal think. She smiled at it and turned to keep walking towards the cave. She heard nothing for a moment then the crash of the animal running through the dry leaves. She hoped Zuko and Iroh were okay with eating onions for lunch.

She could see the cave now and was a little relieved to see it; it was a home away from home. She continued forward and almost bumped into Zuko. He had been waiting for her about twenty feet from the cave entrance hidden by his brown shirt that blended in with the trees and dry leaves on the ground.

"Zuko!" She yelled as she fell forward and landed on top of the onions she carried. She got a face full of leaves and a mouth full of dirt. She froze and counted to ten. She'd been fine on her way back; she had calmed herself down and told herself what to do. Now she was covered in dirt and the source of all her rattled emotions had made her fall.

"Katara! Are you okay! I was so worried, you were gone for so long. I thought Azula got you." _At least he sounds sane now_. Katara thought as she dusted herself off and spit out the dirt.

"So you hide out here and trip me? That's smar-what are you doing!" He was holding her down. She froze and looked up at him. "What are you doing Zuko?" She said again without yelling this time.

"Well at first I was going to talk to you but then I thought I saw someone following you. So I thought I should keep you down in case someone wanted to hurt you." His voice ended in a whisper as he watched her under him.

"I'm sure there was no one there Zuko…" Katara was also whispering as she watched Zuko. He was on top of her, his arms pinning her torso down and his body pinning her legs down. She could feel her body coming to life with the feel of him on her and she hated herself for it.

"Katara, I meant everything I said earlier. I love you." He released his hold on her after checking to make sure there was no one there. He stood up and offered his hand to help her up. She took it and pulled herself up.

"Zuko…" Katara looked at him and could see the love in his eyes. _It's now or never Katara, now or never_.

Sorry that it took so long!


	23. Holy bananas did you see that!

_It's now or never Katara, now or never.  
_"Zuko…" Katara began as she walked towards him. The question on his face sought an answer in hers. She had it for him too.

"Katara! Watch out!" came a voice from above her and both Katara and Zuko froze. They looked up and saw Appa and Aang. Aang jumped off of Appa and tackled one of the men who had been standing mere inches from Zuko's back. How Katara had not seen him was beyond her but she was already switching to attack mode and out came her water whip. She looked at Zuko and nodded at the cave. Inside was Iroh who wouldn't be able to defend himself against anyone right now. Zuko ran towards the cave and made it to the entrance before three soldiers could make it inside.

Appa landed a few feet behind Katara and down jumped Sokka with Toph. The second Tophs feet hit the ground a massive wave of rock was sent hurtling towards the cave to eject the soldiers from the entrance. Sokka ran over to Katara and gave her a quick hug before pulling out his boomerang. They went forward and began attacking the men who seemed to swarm out of the trees from nowhere.

_They must've been there the whole time…_thought Katara, which meant they had seen her and Zuko together. She knew who these men belonged to; Azula. Which meant one thing, they would tell Azula about Zuko and how he had feelings for her. If Zuko was captured Azula might have him tortured…no she would have him tortured and she'd do it herself. Katara couldn't let that happen.

She sent her whip flying at anything wearing metal armor that go to close. She somehow managed to create a three foot clearing completely around her. She stopped for a moment, suspending her whip above her head like a coiled snake ready to strike, and searched for Zuko.

XXX

"Aang, I need your help! There are too many and I can't keep them from getting to Iroh by myself." Zuko was exerting all of his power into pushing back the ten guards who had managed to climb over the stone wall Toph had sent to stand guard around the cave. Zukos bending had gotten better since his two year stint away from the palace but he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep ten royal guards from iroh or himself for much longer. He needed help and the closest person to him was Aang.

"Aang!" he yelled again hoping the boy monk wasn't ignoring him. Now was not the time for this boys emotions to take control.

"Zuko! I'll be right there!" It wasn't Aang, it was Sokka. Zuko sent up a big wave of fire at the advancing soldiers and looked to see where Aang was _No wonder he didn't answer, he's surrounded by men ten rows thick_. He looked once more for Sokka and saw the boy with the boomerang before a wall of fire wall sent his way.

XXX

_Katara is going to kill me if anything happens to Zuko or Aang…_Sokka grumbled to himself as he ran towards the cave. He had sent Toph over to Aang before heading over to help Zuko. Sokka was surprised to see ten guards advancing on Zuko. He kissed his boomerang vefore sending it off to knock the heads of the first three guards together before returning to him. He knew they wouldn't be down for long but he hoped he had taken out enough people to stop their advancement on the cave. He looked around and saw Katara wielding her water whip and men running from her. He smiled, _Yuuup, that's my sister. _He turned to look at Aang and saw Toph knocking soldiers out left and right with massive rock extensions of her hands. _Those poor soldiers never stood a chance, royal guard or not. _

Sokka turned around just in time to avoid being decapitated _maybe I should pay better attention to my surroundings during a fight…_Sokka thought as he side stepped another thrust of a broadsword before removing his club to dance merrily around his pursuer and club him on the back of the head. Sokka smiled and looked towards the cave. His smile vanished. He couldn't see Zuko.

XXX

"Aang how are you doing!" Toph yelled over the sound of whooshing air and fireballs.

"I'm doing fine Toph! Not exactly what I had in mind-"Aang spun a ball of air and threw it at the men closest to him, "-when we all regrouped. I still haven't had the chance to-" he took a deep breath and sent a big rush of wind towards the men who jumped at Toph, "-talk to Katara yet. I need to explain myself to her." He looked at Toph and then nodded, both readying themselves to create a massive plateau in the middle of this forest. They breathed in and exhaled and up they went, leaving the seventy men, Katara, Zuko, and Sokka on the ground below.

"You know Aang, I'm pretty sure Katara understands just fine." Toph said as she listened with her feet to the commotion going on below.

"Then how could she love Zuko?" Aang asked simply. He leaned back and floated gently to the ground. He looked at the clouds and wished he understood why she loved Zuko.

"There must be a sign…." Toph said simply.

"A sign? What sign? Where?" Aang said as he sat up and looked at her.

"On my forehead saying I know everything. Sorry to disappoint but I don't." Toph said doing her best to glare at Aang. Aang just frowned at her and grumbled to himself.

XXX

Katara was beginning to get tired, which wasn't a good sign at all. The soldiers just kept coming. No matter how many she knocked out or sent flying, more just appeared. She didn't know how much longer she'd be able to fight these men off and she needed to make sure Iroh and Zuko were okay.

She had strength left for one last water bending move that might shoot her over to the plateau that Aang and Toph had crated. She looked around at the soldiers advancing towards her and decided to be creepy.

She smiled at them and stopped bending. These were the same men who had attacked them earlier and had seen her control those poor unfortunate souls who had been unlucky enough to experience, what she was calling, blood bending. So they naturally froze and almost took a step away from her. She closed her eyes, still smiling, and began drawing on the water from the environment around her.

She heard the gasping from the men and she knew what they were seeing. The trees were beginning to die, the grass was turning brown, and the flowers lost their color and began to wilt. The clearing around them was turning brown and all the water she was collecting had merged to form a large ball around her. She couldn't see it but she could feel it.

Once she felt she had enough water to do what she needed she opened her eyes to see several men fleeing from her. _Good, they're scared. _She looked over to the plateau and saw Toph and Aang watching her. From where they were they could easily see the cave and that's what she needed to do, see the cave.

She began moving her hands and body, trying to copy what she had seen Aang do only last year. It was when they had first found Aang when he had been taken by Zuko. She remembered flying after them on Appa, she will always remember that as being exhilarating, and when they had finally caught up with the ship she was shocked.

Aang had fallen off the ship into the frigid blue water that they had been traveling through. Katara knew a person couldn't survive very long in cold water and began panicking. Her heart had almost stopped when Aang came back out of the water with almost a tornado of water underneath him, bring him towards the ship. That's what she hoped to recreate and if she couldn't then she was very much done for.

She didn't remember doing anything, only moving her hands and she couldn't remember how she did it either but she was up. She was above the fire nation soldiers and almost level with the plateau. She could almost feel the exhaustion coming after her, it was nipping at her heels but she had to focus and concentrate on getting to the plateau. She pushed down on the water tornado and was shot forward at Toph and Aang who were watching her with gaping mouths. Toph couldn't see what was going on but she had felt the water being drained from the earth and Aang had told her the rest.

Aang thankfully caught her and she blacked out. She was thankful for Aang being there to catch her so she wouldn't face plant into the hard rock. That was her last thought before welcoming the sweet embrace of the darkness.

XXX

"Holy Bananas Toph, did you…no you didn't but oh my goodness!" Aang was shocked. He knew he had done that last year but to see Katara try that and her not be the Avatar changed the way he looked at her. She was definitely going to be a master bender, if she wasn't already.

"Did she really take the water out of the plants and ground?" Toph said with awe in her voice.

"Yeah, she really did and she really used all the water she gathered to carry herself over here." Aang looked back at Toph and then down at the soldiers Katara had left on the ground who were still stunned by what they had seen.

Aang knew they would eventually snap out of it and head over to the cave where Sokka and Zuko were at. He realized then that Katara had launched herself over here to get a better look at the cave to see if her brother and Zuko were okay. Aang himself didn't know what was going on down there and decided to look.

He couldn't see Zuko, which was bad. Sokka was pinned against the cave wall by four soldiers surrounding him. Sokka, being the brave little soldier he was, held his club up and was ready for anything. They needed to get down there and fast. The soldiers Katara had left were beginning to wake up from their 'trance' and were heading towards the cave. Aang assumed Zuko was inside the cave with his uncle and that there were more soldiers inside that they couldn't see.

"Toph, can you try to wake Katara up. I don't know if she's completely out because of exhaustion and wont wake up soon or if she just needs a short mental break. And Toph…please be gentle about it." Aang said again realized Toph might just throw Katara off the side of the plateau to wake her up.

"We need to get down to the cave. I can't see Zuko and Sokka is completely surrounded, he definitely needs our help. Can you manage something from up here?" Aang said again as he began stirring the air around them, trying to create a storm that would drive the fire nation soldiers back.

"Yeah I can try, what you want me to do first though. Wake up sugarqueen or destroy some soldiers?"

"Uhh, destroy some soldiers please." Aang said and moved over to Katara to wake her up. She was unconscious, that was for sure but he might be able to bring her back. They needed her right now. He closed his eyes and focused his spirit energy on tracking down hers. All creatures in this world had a spirit energy and when one was unconscious their spirit energy was tucked away somewhere in the recesses of their mind. He needed to reach it and unlock it and fast.

He searched through her mind as quickly as he could and finally found her. Her spirit energy was strong, a lot stronger than he expected it to be for someone who wasn't the avatar. _I should probably stop underestimating her…._ "Katara, we need you to come back." He whispered in the ear of her spirit energy. "We need you." He said again. He could feel her spirit energy looking at him and nodding. He smiled, knowing Katara was coming back. He pulled out of her mind as fast as he'd entered it.

"Katara…" he shook her slightly, "Katara are you awake yet?" He saw her move and her eyes fluttered and he sighed happily. "Okay good, we need you now. Toph is helping Sokka because he's completely surrounded by fire nation soldiers. I'm trying to create a storm to send them packing and we have no idea where Zuko is. If you have the strength you should probably fight your way through the soldiers to the cave. If you don't have the strength then help me make a storm." Aang said as he stood up.

He hadn't waited for her to be fully awake to say anything to her because he knew how strong she was and he knew that Sokka needed him more than Katara did.

"How's it coming Toph?" Aang said as he went back to standing next to her on the edge of the plateau.

"Pretty fantastic! I managed to clear a big enough space around Sokka to allow him some freedom and I cleared the entrance of the cave while you worked your magic on Katara." _And she had indeed_, Aang observed. There was a thick wall covering the entrance to the cave so no one could get in or out, which was good if Zuko was still inside the cave. Sokka was practically dancing around the clearing Toph had made him and was smacking all the soldiers in the head with his club. He was almost skipping. _Yup, he's skipping…he always surprises me._

"Good job Toph." Katara croaked as she came up behind them. She felt horrible and yet she felt like she could take on all of those soldiers. She needed some water. _Well that's ironic…_Katara thought with a stupid grin.

She looked down at the cave entrance and knew she needed to get inside but there were too many soldiers to get through for her to get to the cave entrance.

"Aang, what kind of storm did you have in mind?"

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**Hey guys!:D New chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one! I had this one semi written up back in October but school has been hectic and finals are almost here. I wanted to give you all an early Christmas present. I was re-reading this one and I thought it was pretty good in the beginning. Comments would be lovely! :) **

**Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! :) Love you guys! **


	24. Blinding Pain

**Sorry about the length between chapters.**  
**I meant to have this one up last month. **  
**Hopefully you like it. **

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She was hurt badly. Her arms were tied together behind her and her knees and feet were bound in front of her. Katara had no idea where she was and all she could remember was creating a storm with Aang. Thinking about it made her see white and she cried out in pain.

"Quiet down in there!" came a yell accompanied by a loud bang. Katara was beginning to doubt whether the storm she had created with Aang had helped in their escape from Azula and her troops.

"It's all right Katara, just breathe and close your eyes, don't push yourself to remember anything. You were obviously hit over the head. Stay calm." She whispered to herself. She couldn't afford to freak out right now so she calmed herself down and began to breathe slowly. With her first breath came a flash back.

"_Katara! We need to bend the water in the cloud to make a massive thunderstorm! If you can manage it I'd also like you to try to create a massive typhoon! I'll take care of the wind speed but I'll need your help with the water!" Aang yelled as he began moving his arms around his head, whipping the air around him to intense speeds. _

"_I'll give it all I've got Aang! I can't make any promises though!" Katara yelled back as she began moving her arms, trying to control the strength of the storm they had started only minutes before. Katara was so focused on the storm she was creating that she hadn't sensed what was going on behind her. She could hear Toph yelling but she had no idea who she was yelling at. _

_Apparently one of the soldiers had climbed the massive rock plateau that Aang and Toph had created and was heading straight for Katara. She didn't feel anything at first but then a sharp pain pierced through her right shoulder, the pain radiating throughout her arm and back. She cried out and turned around to find the person responsible. _

_It was a boy, only a few years older than her and by the looks of it he had been doing this for years. There was no remorse on his face, just a grim line where his mouth was and coldness in his eyes. She didn't think twice about cutting him down either. There he lay, his life force spilling out of his body where she had whipped him through the torso. He looked at her and nodded, knowing life was the cost of battle. _

_She froze for a second, couldn't believe that she had just taken someone's life but looked up again and saw more soldiers come up over the side of the ridge. _

Katara squeezed her eyes shut again. That boy, she had killed him. Tears sprang to her eyes and she couldn't stop the flow. He had a life, a family, and she had taken him away from all of that. _Yes, Katara you did, but he wouldn't have hesitated in taking your life away…._Her conscience sounded like Aang and she wondered if he could hear her thoughts.

"Where is Aang?" She whispered to herself. Her eyes looked up at the small square in the door in front of her and she tried to see what she could see. She couldn't stand up because the bindings were too tight and she had lost feeling in her feet a long time ago. She needed to remember what happened to Aang and more importantly she needed to remember how they got here. She closed her eyes again and slowed her breathing.

"_Aang, there are more soldiers coming up the side of the plateau! We need to move!" Aang was focused on the bending of the air around him that he hadn't noticed the soldiers. Toph was doing a wonderful job of keeping the soldiers off of Aang but they were beginning to overpower her. Katara rushed over to Aang and grabbed his arm. _

_He was in the avatar state. _

_He looked at her and looked around and saw the soldiers. With a simple flick of his hand, the soldiers went flying off the plateau. Katara could hear them yelling as they fell and the crunch of their bones as they landed. She winced and looked at Aang. He nodded at her and refocused on the storm he was making. He no longer needed Katara to help with the storm; there was lightning and rain drops as big as oranges falling from the sky. Katara looked at Toph and shrugged, making her whimper in pain. She looked at her shoulder and saw just how badly the wound was. _

_She needed to care for it right away. She bent some of the water out of the sky and wrapped it around her arm. The healing process began and she instantly felt calmer and better. The pain was receding from her arm when Zuko popped into her head. Where was he? What happened to him? Was he with Iroh? Was Iroh okay?_

_Her head snapped to attention and she ran to the edge of the plateau, scanning the ground for Zuko. He was nowhere to be seen. Sokka was drenched from the storm and he was glaring at Aang. The fire nation soldiers had deserted their posts and began running for cover after the first lightning bolt struck one of their own. _

"_Toph, can you get Sokka up here?" Katara yelled back to her friend. The speed of the wind had risen and it sounded like one hundred screaming banshees. _

"_I'll see what I can do!" Toph said with a smile and planted her feet deep into the ground. She closed her eyes and lifted her hands slowly, palms facing skyward. Katara looked back at Sokka and saw the ground beneath him begin to move. He yelled at first and almost ran off the moving rock but then looked up at Toph and relaxed. After Toph got his rock out of the ground, she flung the rock at herself and Sokka went flying. Katara almost laughed at how funny Sokka looked and she would have if she hadn't been afraid for his life. She caught him and sighed. They hugged and Sokka went over to Toph to yell something, Katara didn't catch it. _

_She turned back to the cave and saw the soldiers leaving in pairs. They were afraid of the avatar; as they should be. There was still no sign of Zuko though. Katara began to worry. _

Her eyes snapped open. She looked to her right shoulder and saw a small, partially healed, puckered wound. She wanted to touch it to make sure it was real but she couldn't move her arms. If she didn't heal that soon it would scar. She sighed, none of what she remembered explained how she ended up in here. She was bound but surprisingly not gagged. She was in a cell with a guard outside of it and she was almost in complete darkness.

"Where the hell am I?" Katara whispered. She was beginning to get frustrated. Nothing she remembered made sense. She couldn't find out what happened. She needed to remember the rest of what happened so she closed her eyes again and tried to calm down.

As she began to breathe slower something was coming back, a sensation at the back of her head. It started out dull but gained power and quickly became a searing pain that made her yell out again.

She whimpered. Something had happened after they had gotten Sokka onto the plateau. She must've been hit on the back of the head. She couldn't recall anything that happened afterwards without experiencing pain.

"Why do you keep yelling?" The guard outside her cell asked her. She could see him through the small square of the cell door, but just barely, her tears were making her vision blurry.

"I'm in pain, why else would I yell?" She said to the guard. She didn't know how long it had been since the skirmish or what had happened to her friends but she knew she needed medical attention and her healing powers weren't working at the moment.

"Well I'll see what I can do to help you." The guard said and Katara could hear the retreating sounds of boots clicking on what sounded like cobblestone. She was now confused, the guard was going to help her? Where was she?

XXX

"Why did we trust him? Now he has Katara prisoner and we don't know where they are." Aang said. He was angry and worried. Aang hadn't seen Katara go down to the cave to help Zuko. He hadn't seen anything really, he'd been in the avatar state since they began the storm and it was his fault Katara was taken.

"Aang, we trusted him because Katara did. Katara must have misjudged him or something." Sokka said as he threw some broken wood into the small fire they were around.

"Guys, Katara didn't misjudge him. Azula probably gave Zuko options and he had to choose. You don't remember seeing Azula come out of that cave with Zuko and Iroh?" Toph hadn't seen them with her eyes but she had with her feet. She should have sensed it sooner, that something wasn't right but she'd been too focused on Sokka and Aang to notice anything within the cave.

"I think it just shows how fickle Zuko is. He traded Katara for his freedom. Who would do that?" Aang glared at Toph.

"Calm down Aang, you don't know all the facts so don't jump to conclusions." Toph said as she glared back at him. She could hear Sokka try to laugh at her attempt to glare but she knew he wasn't up to it.

"If we sit around here wondering what happened we are never going to find out. One of us should go into the city to see if Katara is there." Toph said. "And you aren't going Aang." She quickly added. They didn't need him to be captured by the fire nation with Katara.

"I'll go." Sokka said. He looked at Toph and then at Aang. "I know I look like her but I can disguise myself. Toph can't go because she's blind and Aang you can't go because you're the avatar…no offense Toph." Sokka, who was normally loud and vocal and happy, was solemn and quiet. He stared into the fire and thought quietly to himself. "It was my job to protect her and I failed. I have to be the one to save her. I'll leave in the morning." Sokka stood up and walked to his sleeping bag.

Toph could feel his sorrow and guilt in every step he took. She stood up to follow him. "I think I'm going to head to bed too Aang. Don't stay up too late worrying over this okay?" Toph said as she placed a hand on his shoulder before walking after Sokka.

"Sokka…" Toph whispered as she closed in on his sleeping bag. "It's not your fault that Katara was taken. It's not your fault that Zuko did what he did. It's not your fault that this war-" She was cut off with a hug.

"Toph I know it's not my fault for the war but I told my dad I would protect her and I failed." She could feel his body shaking and knew he was holding back tears. She squeezed him.

"Sokka, it's going to be okay. You'll find her and the avatar is on our side. She'll be fine." Toph said, she wasn't used to consoling people that was Katara's thing. She rubbed his back, knowing one of the servants had done that for her when she was younger and afraid. It had always calmed her down. She heard him sigh and felt his heart beat slow down.

"Maybe you should get some sleep since you are leaving in the morning…" Toph said, trying to untangle herself from his arms and guide him to his sleeping bag at the same time.

"Toph…will you stay with me tonight? I know we agreed we wouldn't sleep together like at the village, or talk about it, but I don't want to be alone tonight…" Sokka said quietly as he rushed to get all his words out.

"Of course Sokka." Toph smiled and tried to hide her blush from him. Sokka pulled her down to his sleeping bag and he held her from behind, his face in her neck. Toph held his hand in hers and they were both quickly asleep.

XXX

"So Zuko…how long have you been traveling with the avatar?" Zuko raised his head to see who had spoken. He knew who it was. He could never forget that voice. It was the voice of the man who had permanently damaged his face, the man responsible for the way his life had turned out, Fire Lord Ozai.

"I haven't been traveling with the avatar father, I've been traveling with his water bender…" He couldn't tell him that he had been looking for Iroh, "…to gain their trust." He looked at the ground again. The tiles on the floor were decorated; each tile hand carved by someone hundreds of years ago. He could lose himself in the intricate design of each tile but he knew he had to focus.

"You were trying to gain their trust? By what…seducing the water bender? Making her like you?" He heard his father laugh, it sounded more like shock and scorn than actual laughter, "You really think that would have worked? Look at you boy, you have no honor, you're a disgrace. Fraternizing with a peasant and a water bender at that…" He heard Ozai spit and heard it fall the floor somewhere near him.

One thing Zuko had learned during his time spent with Katara was who he was and how he handled himself. It felt different, dealing with his dad this way. He no longer sought his father's respect or wanted to regain whatever his father thought of as honor. He just wanted to let him know exactly what he thought of him. He sat up and looked at his father, he noticed the slight raising of his father's eyebrow at this obvious disobedience but his father stayed quiet.

"Fire Lord Ozai, father…my honor is something you could never take away. But you are absolutely right, how could I talk to her and hope to seduce her if I am anything like you? So I had to change and I did and now…I'm confident that she has feelings for me and that avatar trusts me. If he doesn't his friends do. I have come closer to the avatar in the past couple of days than you have since you inherited this war. So father, I ask you, do you think it would have worked? Gaining their trust and destroying the avatar?" He glared at his father. He hated thinking this man was his father but he had to give the credit where it was due. His father had given him life.

It was quiet. No one had ever openly refuted the fire lord before without some sort of repercussion. Zuko had been exiled himself for speaking out against one of his father's generals. Things like this just didn't happen but Zuko didn't falter in his position and he saw the reaction it got from the people present; Azula, Ozai's war generals, and Ozai himself. Ozai was calm and cool, silently glaring at his son while mulling over what he had said. Azula's mouth was wide open, she was clearly in shock. She had never had the courage to speak out against their father and she knew Zuko was even more afraid of him than she was. The war generals sat silently and watched Ozai, waiting for a reaction.

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Feedback would be great (:  
And if you have any ideas on where the chapter should go from here please feel free to message me some of them. :)


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